David Laney (Nike Trail) is one of the most accomplished ultra runners in the world. He also has some serious road wheels running a 2:22:34 in his first marathon. David is a shining example of what you can do when you keep it simple. Thanks, David, for taking the time to share your story. I can’t wait to see what you do next.

Name

David Laney (Nike Trail) (SIMPLE Bottle) (Ugo Bars)

Sex: Male

Age (at the time of first BQ): 23

Height: 6

Weight (at the time of first BQ): 140

At which marathon did you get your first BQ?

Eugene Marathon

What was your finishing time?

2:22:34

Tell us a little about the race.

Great race in Eugene, Really fun, great support and spectators. I highly recommend running it! Cant wait to go back and run it again.

How long had you been running when you ran your first BQ?

Pretty much my whole life, maybe 18 years

Did you run in college or high school?

Yeah both high school and college

What was your approximate lifetime mileage at the time of your first BQ?

Oh man I have no idea. Maybe 50,000 miles

How many miles did you run in the year before your first BQ?

I typically run 80-100 miles a week so probably around 5000 miles

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?

Probably 10-12 races, trail and road mostly.

Did you follow a canned program? If so, which one? If not, can you give us an idea of what your training philosophy was?

I train pretty simply, 2 workouts a week and one long run, the rest is easy mileage.

Did you run with a running club or utilize a coach?

No but I do Coach runners though my service Trails and Tarmac.

Did cross training play a role in your training? If so, how?

Not really at all

Did speed work play a role or specific workouts play a role in your training? If so, how?

Yes 2X speed sessions per week, so anything from 400 meter repeats to 8 mile tempo runs

Any other thoughts you would like to share with those of working towards a BQ?

Just train smart and keep at it!! Boston is a great goal and with the right work you can get there!!

Read hundreds of more stories of qualifying for Boston here.