Where are they now: Mann alumnus Brandon Bartholomew

Mann alumnus Brandon Bartholomew talks about high school running, the college level. Bartholomew lives in Sweden.

(Photo right, provided - Bartholomew competes in 2011 Swedish Championships 4K)

Full name Brandon Bartholomew (Wake Forest profile)

High school J.L. Mann

College Wake Forest

Strongest event 5000 - Half marathon
Personal bests, other stats 8:23 3000, 14:29 5000,  68:13 half marathon

Hobbies working out in general, soccer, basketball and tennis


What was the biggest adjustment you had to make to compete at the college level?
The volume and intensity are the two obvious answers. I would say though that another huge adjustment is getting used to working out with a lot of other quality runners on a weekly basis. I had a hard time my freshman year listening to my body and staying relaxed in workouts. Instead, I treated a lot of them like races which resulted in me burning out very quickly during the cross country season. 


How would you rate your college running career and overall college experience?
I would rate my college career as a C-. My 5,000 personal record is from my sophomore year and after that season I always had injury/illness problems and could never put together a complete season. My fifth year was shaping up to be great in XC before an off-and-on injury that occurred before pre-nats and I ran my 3000 personal record indoors that year before coming down with an illness and then a season-ending injury within the following three weeks.

My overall college experience was great, and even if my running goals were not accomplished, I wouldn’t trade that for the friendships and memories I made. 

Is there anything you can tell high school athletes to better prepare them for the college experience?
For running purposes, self-discipline and rest are the two most important aspects, especially freshman year. Having no parents or authority figures around - besides coaches at practices - can often times lead to late nights and unwise decisions from an athletic standpoint. Everyone should have fun and do what they enjoy, but to perform at an elite level also means making sacrifices that non-athletes don’t have to make.

Do you plan to attend South Carolina for any outdoor meets this coming season? 
I live in Sweden so that’d be quite the trip.

What memories from competing in high school stand out the most?
In general, just being able to train with my long-time childhood friend (Michael Hatch) all four years and both of us pushing each other to reach our goals will always stand out. That we were both able to win state championships and obtain interest from D-1  programs was very cool. 

Individual perspective
Foot Locker Regionals my senior year was a great experience, 
Running four events at the state track meet and helping lead my team to a co-State championship.

In general, all of the constant racing in dual meets in track stands out. We never had much depth in cross contry my last two years, so the track meets were always a lot of fun with Mike and I doing all of the 800-3200 races and then having a lot of talented guys and relay teams in the sprints and jumps. If I remember correctly, we didn’t lose a dual meet in track the two years I ran.

From a bizarre perspective - and I can only say this because he was my roommate and teammate at Wake - but I’ll never forget watching Kevin Jones and Graham go the wrong way in the Class AAAA state cross country meet our senior year. 

What do you miss most about running in high school?
I wouldn’t say I miss too much about high school running. If you can run in college, no matter what level it is at, there’s nothing that beats the friendship and comraderie that takes place over the miles and miles that you run with your some of your closest friends. Whether you run with a teammate for one or five years, the stories and memories that you make last forever. 

I will say though that there is an innocence and ignorance that we had in high school when racing. I don’t know what kind of tactics high school kids have these days, but I always remember the first 400 meters of a track or cross country race just being insanely fast. We would run a 63-65 and then proceed to typically run a 4:40+ for 1600 or 9:50+ for 3200. We always paid hard for those starts!

What piece of coaching or advice that someone gave you has been the biggest help?
Don’t let mileage dictate your training. There are many other important components of training - strength training, cross training and rest - that can improve your performance and minimize injuries. 



How is the adjustment post-college?
I have been hurt for the last 18 months, but before this had trained at various times post-college. It’s harder training post-college because you don’t have the same amount of free time. Thus, you really have to make sacrifices in other aspects of your life if you want to continue training. Also, when injuries arise it is harder to get them detected in a timely manner since you don’t have a training staff and training room right at your disposal.