University of Richmond Athletics
Matt Llano: Life As A Professional Marathoner
04/12/2016 | Spider Athletic Fund
RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond continues its week of thanks by focusing on cross country and track & field alum, Matt Llano (2011). Llano recently finished sixth in the marathon (26.2 miles) at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Matt Llano, 27, is no stranger to a busy schedule. At the University of Richmond, Matt graduated as a triple major with degrees in psychology, Latin American & Iberian Studies and theatre. The former cross country and track and field star is currently a professional distance runner for professional running team Hoka One One Northern Arizona Elite and recently finished sixth at the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 2016 Olympic games held this summer in Rio, Brazil.
A normal week for Llano consists, typically, of running between 130 and 140 miles, making his profession no normal 40-hour a week job. His day has just begun after his morning run, ranging from 16 to 28 miles, as he has to constantly work on his health and body to keep up with the high mileage his body is enduring. After running he cools down with drills including: strides, stretching and rolling (self-massage work). He then goes home for lunch and in the afternoon he goes back to work for a shorter run, between four and eight miles, as well as going to the gym almost every day for strength training and incorporating cross training, like pool running, swimming and elliptical work. His day ends with eating a balanced and healthy dinner before having time to spend with friends and then getting a good night's rest before starting the routine over again the next morning.
The trials for the marathon for the 2016 Rio Olympic games took place on February 13 in Los Angeles, Cal. Out of 108 participants Llano finished in sixth place with a time of 2:15:16.
Matt just missed out on a place with team USA, with the top three finishers qualifying. Speaking with Matt about his biggest goals in his career he said, “My biggest goal is to qualify for a US Olympic Team and compete at the Olympic Games. I came up just short at the 2016 US Olympic Marathon Trials, where I finished sixth place. I'll have another shot in 2020 and a couple more thereafter, and while it's a long time to wait for redemption, I am confident that I will be a completely different competitor by then.”
At the University of Richmond Matt was an All-American in outdoor track and field (10K) and led the Spiders to the NCAA Cross Country Championships as a team in 2010, where they finished 24th. Matt qualified a total of four times for the NCAA's, once in cross country as a team and as an individual, as well as twice individually in the 10,000 meter (2010,2011). His time at UR saw him pick up seven Atlantic 10 All-Academic awards, an All-American award in the 10,000m in outdoor track field and also picked up the William L. Lumpkin Leadership award by the University of Richmond his senior year.
When asked about his time at UR and how that prepared him for a life as a professional athlete, Llano said, “Being a University of Richmond student-athlete taught me how to work really hard, but also how to live a well-rounded life. I had to make sure I maintained a delicate balance between my rigorous academics and other school-related activities, while at the same time devoting a large part of myself to my athletic career. It wasn't always easy, but it was definitely worth it.”
Matt still keeps in touch with the program by following the Richmond XCTF Twitter account and staying in touch through email with the coaches and fellow alumni. He gets to see the coaches from time to time when his marathon running brings him to the east coast. He recognizes that the program played a big role in terms of his athletic development.
When asked about his advice towards any incoming recruits Llano had to say, "My best advice is to believe in the program, your teammates, the coaches, and most importantly yourself and to be patient. Progress will come."
Matt's journey as a professional runner has just begun with his sixth place finish at the 2016 Olympic Trials and he will be striving to qualify in 2020. Till then he hopes to improve on his marathon and half-marathon times with his best times being 61:47 in the half-marathon, the 17th fastest time by an American and 2:12.28 in the marathon. Llano will continue to train and compete for the US on the world stage in international competitions. To keep up with Matt and his journey you can stay updated on his official website, www.mattllano.com.
