FV Native Making Tracks on Marathon Circuit

Last weekend, Nick Arciniaga of Fountain Valley headed to the starting gate at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational at Stanford University. His mind raced with thoughts about who would give him a challenge, how he wanted to plan his race, times he wanted to see at critical points throughout the race.

Running in the 10,000 meters, Arciniaga’s strategies paid off, and he finished with an impressive time of 28:29.71. Arciniaga’s performance earned him a place on Team USA and a trip to South Korea for the World Marathon Champions.

Five men will race the marathon for the U.S. team in the 2011 World Championship in Athletics, which takes place Aug. 27 through Sept. 4. Two runners were selected by virtue of their first- and second-place finishes from the 2010 US Marathon Championships, and the three were selected from a ranked-time list of marathon performances occurring between Jan. 1, 2010 and April 18 of this year. Eligible time must be under 2:17:00 for a full marathon on an International Association of Athletics Federation-certified course. Arciniaga did not race the US Championships in 2010, but was ranked fifth on the time list with at 2:11:30 time at the Houston Marathon earlier this year.

Arciniaga has his eye on the big trophy. “My motivation is to qualify for the Olympics,” he said. “I have improved each year in my performances and rankings, and I continue to improve, which shows me that there is no end in sight. I will continue to train and race as long as it takes to become the best I can be. Things have gotten easier over the past few years, as I have improved I have also increased my sponsorships, which has enabled me to train harder and more often without having to hold down another job to survive.”

Arciniaga trains in Flagstaff, AZ, with coach Greg McMillan, who coached at the 2008 Olympic Games, the 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic trials, the 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009 World Track and Field Championships, and the 2003 Pan American Games. With a good performance in Korea, Arciniaga will have the opportunity to excel on the international circuit.

Arciniaga began his running career at Fountain Valley High School under coach Marty Baratti. At FVHS, he left his mark on the cross country program during 2001, winning a league title at 800 and 1,600 meters, placing second in the county championships at 1,600 meters, placing third in the CIF finals at 1,600 meters and placing seventh in the CIF masters at 1,600 meters.

His success earned him a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton, and he continued working with Baratti and the FVHS team as an assistant coach. At CSUF, Nick continued to improve, winning the 1,500 meters at the Cal/Nevada Championship in 2005. But his greatest accomplishments were yet to come.

In 2006, Nick finished at Cal State Fullerton and ran his first marathon. With a debut time of 2:16:58, he ranked 20th in the U.S. for 2006. He was the recruited by the Hansons Brooks Distance Project in Rochester Hills, MI, to train with a group of athletes focused on running marathons. He stayed until February 2010, then moved to Flagstaff, joining Team USA Arizona.

Arciniaga’s path to the U.S. team:

• 2:16:58 Marathon Debut at the Chicago Marathon (2006), 23rd place
• Ninth place, U.S. 25k Championships (2007)
• 17th place, U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials (2007), 2:17:08
• 10th, place, Boston Marathon (2008), 2:16:13
• Sixth place, U.S. 20k Championships (2008), 1:00:48
• Eigth place, New York City Marathon (2009), 2:13:46
• Seventh place, U.S. Half Marathon Championships (2010), 1:03:22
• Eighth place, U.S. 15k Championships (2010), 44:51
• Third place, U.S. 25k Championships (2010), 1:15:17
• Third place, Rock and Roll San Diego Marathon (2010), 2:11:48
• Second place, U.S. Club Cross Country Championships (2010), 29:39 - 10k
• Second place, Houston Marathon (2011), 2:11:30
• Ranked ninth in 2008 in U.S. Marathon
• Ranked sixth in 2009 in U.S. Marathon
• Ranked sixth in 2010 in U.S. Marathon
• Currently Ranked second for 2011 in U.S. Marathon

Arciniaga still keeps contact with FVHS former girls’ crosscountry coach Barry Migliorini. Their conversations help Arciniaga to plan for his races.  As Migliorini asks probing questions, Nick is forced to think about them and include them in his preparation and race strategies.

Regardless of stage or sport, parents experience the high, lows and anxieties that go with competition. “Virtually every evening before Nick races, the anticipation of the potential outcome is as nerve wracking and exciting as the feelings I felt as child waiting for Santa,” said Arciniaga’s father, Rick. “It is that awesome. I get so high in the excitement waiting for the race to start that I cannot sleep; whether I follow the race in person, or on the internet.”

Rick enjoys watching all of his children (Jenn, Nick, Mike and Sam) compete in various sports, and he has found respect for Nick’s work ethic and his achievements. “What has most impressed me about Nick is that he is so dedicated, diligent and disciplined in his training; and the ultimate successes that he has attained have bolstered his confidence level to the point that he knows that he can reach his goals in the long term," he said. "His plan and execution for self-improvement have been nothing short of remarkable, rising from a better than average college runner to elite marathoner.”