In case anyone hasn’t seen this:
http://media.www.easternprogress.com/media/storage/paper419/news/2008/02/07/Sports/Worlds.Fastest-3195212.shtml
World’s Fastest?
Eastern alum Dallas Robinson makes run at 2008 Summer Olympics in 200-meter or relay race
Cameron Blair
Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: Sports
Eastern graduate Dallas Robinson entered the summer of 2007 in what many would see as a desirable position.
Robinson, 28, had a job in a corporate sales position with a six-figure salary.
However, Robinson was less than satisfied with his position and walked away from his sales career.
“It took about three or four weeks of sleepless nights and squirming around my chair at work to decide I was putting in my two weeks notice,” Robinson said. “And I don’t know how this is gonna work out or how I’m gonna pay my mortgage, but I know I am supposed to run.”
And run he has.
Robinson first ran at the 2007 Bluegrass State Games after being away from competitive running for almost a year. He placed first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.33, setting a new Kentucky record.
“I walked out onto a track and broke the Kentucky state record in the 100 and just missed the Olympic qualifying standard after sitting on my butt for a year,” Robinson said. “So I knew at that point this is what I was supposed to be doing.”
After six months of training, Robinson is currently ranked third in the world in the 200-meter and fifth in the 60-meter dash and is looking to represent the United States in the Olympics in either the 200-meter race or the team relay event.
Robinson also works a full time job at S & S Tire in Lexington, working as many as 60 hours per week. Working here pays the bills for Robinson and gives him the opportunity to pursue his training.
“I walked away from a $100,000 dollar per year job into S & S Tire to work the front desk. It’s a pretty humbling position to say the least,” Robinson said.
Robinson begins each day at 5:45 a.m. and works a 13-hour shift from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. He then trains at the indoor training facility for two and a half hours from 9-11:30 before calling it a night at 12:30 a.m.
Despite the pay cut he took when he left his sales job and the long hours he now puts in every day, staying motivated is not an issue for Robinson.
“The gift I was given wasn’t the ability to make good money,” Robinson said. “Everyday I wake up and I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, so it’s pretty darn easy.”
Due to the odd hours his training required, Robinson was training and running on his own without a sponsor backing him. All of this changed for Dallas about a month ago when Human Performance Consulting, a California-based training company, began to work with him.
The company helps assists him with his training and allows him to get in more track meets, Robinson said.
“Hopefully we can use the momentum we’ve got going and build upon that,” Robinson said.
Soon after he started running for HPC, Robinson caught another break when he appeared on the Spike TV show, Pros vs. Joes. On the show, Robinson wrestled former Olympic gold medalist and WWE star Kurt Angle in a Greco-Roman wrestling match, played H-O-R-S-E with former NBA player Kendall Gill and went one-on-one with former NFL wide receiver Jimmy Smith.
To get on the show, Robinson had to compete against 100 “joes” in Chicago in addition to 400 other possible contestants in four other cities.
“I looked at being on Pros vs. Joes as something that would make a really cool story, and that was about it,” Robinson said.
Dallas’ performance on the show became much more than a cool story to tell. Companies such as Nike, Adidas and Puma have contacted Dallas after his appearance on the show.
“I didn’t realize that at the time the show aired, I would be in the top three in the world in my event. Being on the show really pole vaulted me into a different level of conversation in the track and field world,” Robinson said.
Being on the show has also had other benefits.
Robinson signed autographs for two nurses after a trip to a doctor’s office to get a referral. In the Powell Building on campus, a man approached Dallas to shake his hand and tell him “it’s good to see a TV star around here.”
Despite his increased prominence in the track and field world, Robinson still maintains ties to Eastern. Dallas’ younger brother, Buck Hartlage is a junior at Eastern.
Robinson has also remained close with Tim Moore, an assistant coach with the track and field team.
“Dallas is one of the toughest competitors we’ve ever had. He’s had to hustle for sponsors and support but he has the personality for it,” Moore said.
Moore said Dallas gave more to the program than his time on the track, however.
“He really gives back to the program and speaks highly of it,” Moore said. “He always tells people where he went to school when he runs.”
Dallas, who was named after the 1980s soap opera Dallas, is also one of Eastern’s most decorated runners. Robinson holds the school record for the 200-meter indoor and won eight conference titles.
However, what Dallas values most about his time at Eastern did not occur on the track.
“The number one thing I brought from EKU was what I learned in the CMS department, to be honest. They took a random kid from Kentucky with a country accent and made me articulate enough to speak to the press. I really learned how to be resourceful and to just get things done while I was there,” Robinson said.
As far as his performance on the track is concerned, Robinson competed in the Indiana Relays Open last weekend. He came away with first place finishes in the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter with times of 6.70 and 21.10, respectively.
Robinson will put all his training to the test at the Olympic Track and Field Trials. The trials will be held late July at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field.
