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A Q&A With Chirine Njeim, The Fleet Feet/Nike Racing Team Member Who Is About To Make Olympic History

Chirine Njeim, crossing the finish line at the Banque Du Liban Beirut Marathon, will compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics

When Fleet Feet – Nike Racing Team member Chirine Njeim crossed the finish line of the Houston Marathon in 2:44:14 she qualified to represent her native Lebanon in the marathon at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janiero.

Chirine also made history in another fashion, joining a small fraternity of 132 Olympic athletes who will have competed in both the Winter and Summer Olympic games. Seven of those have competed in cross-country skiing and a track-and-field event. Chirine will be the first to compete in alpine skiing and track and field.

The Rio games will be Chirine’s fourth Olympic Games, having represented her native Lebanon in alpine skiing events (Downhill, Slalom, Super-G, Giant Slalom and Super-Combined events) at the 2002 Salt Lake City, 2006 Torino and 2010 Vancouver winter games. Chirine had left her home country at the age of 12 to train in France and then moved to Utah at 14 to attend high school and train at an elite ski academy. She was studying and competing in skiing at the University of Utah when she competed in her first Olympic games and had the honor of carrying her nation’s flag in the Opening Ceremonies.

Chirine moved to Chicago in 2010 and ran her first marathon – the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon – in 3:07. With help from the Chicago running community she has made steady improvement until her qualifying performance at Houston and her date with Olympic history this summer.

How does it feel to be a member of a very unique fraternity – those athletes who have competed in both winter and summer Olympic games – and to be the only one who has competed in downhill skiing and a track and field (the marathon) event?

I realize it is very historical and I am so honored to be the first middle eastern athlete to compete in both winter and summer Olympics. My hope is that this inspires the middle eastern Olympian of tomorrow.

Chirine Njeim competes in the women's giant slalom during the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. (Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)

Can you give me an insight into the process for being selected for the Lebanese Olympic team? Who makes the selections for the team?

Previously, Lebanon has never had an athlete earn an automatic qualification to the summer games. As a result, there is a scoring method used that normalizes competitors across various running disciplines. An internal Olympic Committee then selected the top scoring athletes to represent Lebanon in the Olympics.

Have you found any similarities in training for an event for the summer games from your past training for the winter games? Any notable differences? How is your training going as of now?

Whether Summer or Winter Olympics, training for any sports requires sacrifice dedication and passion to be elite. I generally try to take it a step further and ensure that fun and enjoyment are a part of the process too!

That said, besides pre-race planning, the main differences between training for my two disciplines is in the nature of energy and focus. Alpine skiing requires an immense amount of strength and focus for very short durations. Exercises were targeted towards balance and explosiveness to train your mind and body to simply ‘give it all you got’ during races for approximately a minute at time. Running marathons, on the other hand, requires physical endurance, patience and the ability to manage effort and nutrition across 26.2 miles, often adjusting race strategies as conditions change.

Currently, I’m focusing on overall conditioning and the upcoming race season. I’ll likely start my marathon training program sometime in mid-April.

How does it feel to represent your home country in the Olympics, especially given the tragic history of the country during the 1970-80s?

Unfortunately, the news we read doesn’t or isn’t able to highlight all of the good and beautiful stories in the world. I believe that Lebanon is often one of those stories. Whether Roman ruins, geographic majesty, food and wine or many other wonders, it is a country that has been at the crossroads of civilization and is full of rich history, tradition and culture. It makes me so proud to be a representative of that story on a world stage…a story that I hope is in the early stages of being learned by everyone.

Given that you have already competed in three Olympic games – do you feel that you may have a slight advantage in that you have experienced the excitement of the games where some of your fellow competitors might be participating in their first games and be a little over-awed by the experience?

Every Olympics is different…whether it be summer or winter, there is always a new feel or experience each offers. Especially so since this is my first Summer Olympics and running marathons is still relatively new to me, I do not feel I have an advantage over anyone else.

What are your goals for the Games?

First and foremost, it is to take in as much as possible of the experience, represent my country and make all of those I know proud.

For the race, I do not have a specific time in mind, however, I am focusing on improving my craft and performance from previous races. My hope is that I’m able learn more about marathons and my own abilities from the opportunity to race among the best runners in the world. 

How has the support from the Chicago running community, and being a member of the Fleet Feet – Nike Racing Team,  helped in your pursuit of competing in the games?

There is no question that Fleet Feet and the Chicago running community have been a major part of the foundation for my success. It is that foundation that has helped me realize my passion for marathons. Additionally, being around such successful runners with the support of Fleet Feet has helped make up for my lack of experience by always providing counsel and training.


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