Rock 'n' Roll Runner: Anthony Famiglietti
Anthony "Fam" Famiglietti is one of America's elite distance runners. Primarily known for his prowess in the grueling 3000 meter steeplechase with a personal best of 8:17 and a spot on the 2004 US Olympic team, Fam has also turned his attention to the 10,000 meter run this season. Earlier this month he clocked a stellar 27:37 at the Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, CA, finishing a close third behind Alan Webb and Dathan Ritzenhein. He is now the tenth fastest American performer of all-time in the event.
What makes him a rock 'n' roll runner is the fact that he composes some pretty kick ass electronic music, which can be heard on his website (see link below) and has a pretty badass attitude. As a kid, Fam was a skateboarder, which probably explains why he has sported a Mohawk in recent years! How many Olympians can claim to have had punk rock haircuts?! Fam is also the subject of a forthcoming documentary called "Run Like Hell" that explores hise day-to-day life and includes racing and training footage from Europe and various parts of the US.
Unlike many status-crazed athletes, Fam has a pretty zen-like outlook on life. When asked about success in a recent interview in Runner's World, he responded: "Success these days seems to be measured in dollars and cents. Great emphasis is put on material wealth and lifestyle. For instance, when people ask me what I do for a career, and I tell them I'm an athlete, the first question out of their mouths is, 'How much money do you make?' Too often on television the ideal image is of someone driving a Rolls Royce, covered in diamonds, getting into exclusive parties, signing autographs and then returning home to their enormous mansion by the lake, impervious to everything... To say: that you may have the Rolls, you may have the diamonds and even the house, but if that mansion is in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina can flood that lake and take it all back. You'll have nothing; you're left with who you are. How do you measure your success then? "
For more info, including a trailer of "Run Like Hell," visit:
http://www.runfam.com
