Athlete of 2008: Brett Johnson, Never Settled For Less Than His Best

The only thing that might run longer than Ocean City distance runner Brett Johnson is his memory.

Only a junior, Johnson has a sharp ability to recall school records, but, then again, he does study them often.

In his living room trophy case lays a newspaper clip of his school's track records. It's four years old and could've been framed, hung and left to never come down like the records set in stone by 2003 grad John Richardson. But Johnson said he looks at it constantly and expects it to all change soon.

"I'm going to start striking them off and when they're all struck off, I'll be satisfied," he said.

After the season Johnson has had, the list needs some revisions.

Dogged by the state's best milers at the Meet of Champions on June 5, Johnson won the 1,600 in a dazzling pace of 4:09.03, replacing Richardson's 4:09.20 as the new standard for both the meet and the school.

Johnson led the first half in about 2:10, slow for the standards of someone eyeing a record, but safe for someone who knows his competition.

"One of the best things about Brett is that he never underestimates his competitors," coach Matt Purdue said. "He has great respect for his competition and goes into every race thinking he's going to have to try his best."

Johnson fended off the feared closing speed of Manalapan junior Robby Andrews by showing off his own, kicking home in a 57 second last lap.

Despite winning by two seconds, a weary Johnson needed to lean at the line to complete his chase of history.

"He's an athlete who wants to push through the physical barriers," Purdue said. "That strength pushes him through the physical pain. Everything hurts. Everything in your mind is telling your body to stop. And at that level you got to use your mind and strength to overcome that."

"I've seen pictures of myself and it looks like I'm on the brink of dying and I feel fine," Johnson said. "I don't what it is. Maybe it just looks like I'm dying all the time."

Johnson has showed this strength many times this season and for this continued drive at excellence, has earned the 2008 Courier-Post Boys' Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, an honor he can place between his 2007 Courier-Post Cross-Country Athlete of the Year and his updated list of records.

Johnson followed up his strong cross-country season by running up and down the basketball court as shooting guard for the Red Raiders, something he attributes for his killer kick.

A regular at the scores table, Purdue knows Johnson isn't nearly as dominant a player as he is a runner, but Johnson said basketball, along with serving the need of breaking things up, allows him to rest his body for the spring.

"The only time I ran was to clear my head after bad basketball games," he said.
Johnson wasted little time making his presence felt to start the spring, running a South Jersey-best 1:52.8 in an 800 against Absegami in his first dual meet and then a 4:10 split in the 1,600 portion of the Woodbury Relays' distance medley relay.

Running unattached against some of his North Jersey competitors in the Ironman Invitational's 1,500 at Don Bosco Prep, Johnson won in 3:53.71, the nation's second-best time according to Milesplit.com.

If it seems like Johnson is in a rush, well, he is. Though only a junior, Johnson knows it's unwise to look ahead in a sport that pushes one to the limit constantly and was reminded of its fickle nature when an injury sidelined senior teammate Ryan Birchmeier, the indoor Group 3 state champ in the 1,600, to start the season.

Johnson, too, knows pain, like the kind felt in his foot last year after running sectionals and the pain of being diagnosed with a broken bone days before the state championships.

"When he came back in the fall he realized these were special opportunities, and you can't wait till next year," Purdue said. "First, he appreciates any opportunity to compete. You never know how many chances you'll have to accomplish things in your life and he definitely recognizes that."

He made the most of his chances this championship season, sweeping the three distance events at the South Jersey Group 3 Championships – including a 3,200 (9:22.98) that missed the Richardson mark by two seconds -- and then doubling in the 1,600 (4:14.55) and the 800 (1:53.49) at the State Group 3 Championships.

After his meet-record 1,600 at the Meet of Champions, Johnson attempted something that was last done by Richardson in 2003: pulling off the 1,600-800 daily double on the biggest of stages.

Johnson tried but to no avail, suffering his first loss of the season by finishing in 1:57.26.

"My grandfather always told me you may not be the best, but you're going to have the most heart and I hate losing," he said. "Whether it's the prestigious Woodbury Relays or gym class, I hate losing."

Johnson plans to run the mile unattached at a Monmouth University-held USATF meet on June 13, a "tune up" for the Nike Nationals on June 21.