Pat Manson Article

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Is fifth time a charm for Superior vaulter?

Manson headed back to the Olympic trials

By Michael Sandrock, For the Camera
July 3, 2004

Pat Manson will not be surprised if the other pole vaulters competing in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Championships that start Friday in Sacramento, Calif., look up to him for a bit of advice. After all, this will be Manson's fifth Olympic trials.

That is a significant accomplishment in itself, but earlier this year Manson did something that no one in the world has ever accomplished: He cleared 18 feet in the pole vault for the 19th consecutive year.

For those who follow track and field, 18 feet is the rough equivalent of running a 4-minute mile, and Manson's streak is one of the highlights of a career that includes three gold medals in the Pan American Games, two trips to the World Championships, and two rankings as the top U.S. pole vaulter of the year. But he has yet to make an Olympic team.

"The 19 years in a row just seems like it has gone by so fast," Manson said. "I remember the first time I cleared 18 feet as a senior in high school, and looking at the Olympic trials and thinking I would have so many chances. Now, they are mostly behind me except for next week."

Manson, 36, is married to distance runner Amy Manson. The couple has two children, Max, 3, and Mia, 2, and live in Superior, where Manson owns his own mortgage company, Vault Mortgage.

"The name is just like pole vault, but all the bankers think it means bank vault, a nice secure name," Manson said with a laugh. "It's a good business and has allowed me to train for the trials this year. If you work for someone else in a cubicle, it is hard to tell them you need time off to train and travel to meets."

Manson grew up in Aurora and won a Colorado prep championship for Aurora Central. He received an engineering degree from the University of Kansas, where he twice set the NCAA meet record, although he just missed out on an NCAA championship. Manson then went on to a solid career as a professional track athlete, traveling the world.

"My whole career has been a dream come true," Manson said. "It has been so much fun."

Sunday will be Manson's last workout before the trials, which he is coming into with a bit more of a relaxed attitude than in other years.

"In the past I was 100 percent serious," he said. "This year I am having a lot more fun, because I have the perspective of a veteran."

Watching his wife return to the national running scene after giving birth to their two children helped Manson's attitude, because, he said, "Amy has done it with laughter and a smile."

Amy Manson has a chance to compete in the 5,000 meters at the Olympic Trials. She narrowly missed the Olympic 'B' standard which would have gotten her into the race. But her best time this year is fast enough to likely get her into the race.

In the late 1990s, Manson worked in advanced technology research for US West as part of Team US West. He then went on to become an environmental engineer in Denver, but soon realized the job did not allow him to train. So when a mentor from his church, Boulder Valley Christian, offered the opportunity to start his own mortgage company, Manson jumped at the chance.

"It's been good," Manson said of Vault Mortgage. "I've worked with some of the athletes in town. Like in any position, it is your associations and your peer group."

Taking time off to train for the trials has "impacted the bottom line," added Manson, "but it is worth it. It is a small window of opportunity to be in this kind of shape. I have a whole lifetime left to develop other career avenues."

On Friday, the pole vault preliminary round will winnow the field of 24 down to 12. The finalists will then compete for the three Athens Olympic spots on July 11. Manson's personal record is 19 feet, 21/4 inches, and he said he will have to jump close to 19 feet to make the team.

"The focus is absolutely, completely on making it through to the finals. Every year a couple of favorite don't make the finals. I want to do my best, and when I lay in bed, know that I did the best of what I was capable of that day. That is all you can ask for."