Focused 'Tank' leads runners

Confident, persistent, tough, spiritual, fast. These are words that can only begin to describe the personality and leadership senior Frank "The Tank" Macreery has brought to the men's track and field team, as he has developed into an integral part of Princeton's distance corps — a source of spirit and inspiration.

"Frank leads by example," assistant coach Stephen Dolan said. "He is very dedicated to chasing his running potential and works extremely hard in his training. An excellent competitor, he inspires the rest of the team with his passion for training and competing."

This passion for competition thrives on Macreery's own inspirations, the actions of two different types of athletes he has observed: the "limited-ability dreamers" and the "natural all-star doers." Since the start of his career, he has hoped to adopt a combination of these two mindsets: the dreamer's sight on personal aspirations, complemented by the doer's focused determination on the prize.

"It's fun rooting for the doer, because you know he'll always come through," Macreery said. "At the same time, it's not quite as exciting as cheering for the dreamer, because even though the dreamer fails nine times out of ten, when he finally does come through, it's as though he's 'seen the light' — finally discovered the secret to running well. It gives hope to the rest of us."

By mixing this determination and talent with constant mental and physical training, Macreery has slowly built himself an impressive resume of achievements. Though in the fall, men's cross-country did not qualify to go to the NCAA championships as a team, Macreery received an individual invitation, finishing 46th overall. He was the 28th American-born runner to complete the race, earning him All-American status, a merit honoring the top 30 American finishers.

In addition to this rare honor, Macreery was also the Ivy League runner-up in the 10,000 meters and third place in the 5,000m last spring in outdoor track. With strong mental and physical training over the past year, he easily stole the spotlight as the 2006 Ivy League indoor champion in the 5,000m this winter and set a new Princeton record in the same event at the Notre Dame Alex Wilson Invitational, finishing in a blistering 14 minutes, 7.76 seconds. These achievements have not come from simple toughness and hard work, however, Macreery attributes his success more to finding the perfect balance of effort and recovery.

"There seems to be this myth that running is the most egalitarian of sports because it favors not the skillful but the tough, the ones who work hardest," Macreery said. "Unfortunately, running is not so straightforward or so equitable. Running is an art, and not a science. It's more about balance than about exertion. It's about finding the right intensity, not the maximum intensity."

Though he is the fastest distance runner on the team, perhaps even among the greatest in Princeton history, his personality and attitude lack any kind of arrogance. He credits much of his success to the help and support of his teammates and coaches. With this never-ending support and motivation, he has worked hard to listen to the advice of his coach and peers, which has helped him to learn the limits of his body.

"When I came to Princeton I was all about training hard," he said. "Now I'm more concerned with training smart. I push [my body] when I can, I back off when I can't."

With this motto in hand, Macreery hopes to finish the year strong. He has his eyes set on setting two additional school records, in the 5,000m and 10,000m. With a handful of strong teammates such as sophomores Dave Nightingale, Justin Pines and Frank Tinney, Macreery has been able to push himself through friendly competition, but hopes to help them in return.

"In my early years here, I took away every bit of wisdom I could from my coaches and elder teammates. I dreamed of the day when I would be able to finally give back to the team," Macreery said. "For me, racing for Princeton is also about repaying a debt to the teammates who have made me who I am. These guys are my best friends; they're the source of my continued motivation."