Franklin went on to say..'We are sent here to consult, not to contend with each other ... Harmony and union are extremely necessary to give weight to our councils, and render them effectual in promoting and securing the common good.'
- Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Bowen, Back Bay Books, 1966, p. 95

Calm
"I have a tendency to go out too fast and fall apart," Cooke said during our New Year's Day conversation at a Bethesda Starbucks. Youth relies on strength and enthusiasm to win; aging teaches one the importance of pace and flexibility. His well- groomed appearance reminds one of a struggling actor looking for his first important film role; I am five minutes late but he shows no sign of irritation.

His coach, Pat Henner,has given him the tools to compete against anyone and inspired Ben Cooke from the first day they met at a summer running camp. Cooke studied political science at James Madison University in Harrisonburg to continue the relationship. When Henner moved to a coaching position at Georgetown University, Cooke followed him to Washington, DC. Henner's experienced hands at the helm enable Cooke to focus on sailing along local roads and tracks with his spinnaker flying. Henner gives him the tools he needs to make repairs and fine tune his race strategy; the end result is confidence. Cooke has developed his ability to stay strong throughout a competition, which has improved his performance.

This area is home to "an exceptional level of talent" in running, enthuses Cooke; he wants to catalyze a growth in other runners' achievements along with his own success--let's push each other to reach a higher level. Kenyans and Russians should be challenged by local runners in Washington events; American Revolutionary character teaches the importance of resistance against overseas control.

Allies
Ben Cooke has been working with Terrel Hale, a massage therapist, to remedy a severe case of plantar fasciitis in his feet caused by long hours working on his feet in a retail running store. Hale and Cooke have worked together to increase Cooke's awareness of the condition of his body and make the right training choices. Cooke wanted to continue running through pain; Hale educates an athlete to "be his own mechanic" through the use of anatomy charts and massage therapy to find "a difficult cure." Hard training puts strain on an athlete's body; managing an injury needs to continue throughout an athletic career. Cooke and Hale have twice-weekly sessions to actively control his foot problem. [Note: Ben underwent surgery in late May to correct a nagging knee problem. He has consulted Coach Henner and agreed to resume training for the 2005 season. He remains cheerful and continues his duties at the Georgetown Running Company.]

Stability in Cooke's personal life and marriage to a school teacher who believes in his Olympic quest are important factors in his ability to gamble on running, with its low rate of remuneration for long hours of hard work. Ben Cooke is an assistant manager at Georgetown Running Company on M Street near Key Bridge; a few visits show that he strives to provide personal attention to each runner shopping for a new pair of shoes or apparel.

Magnificent
"I want to do everything well." Ben Cooke has dedicated his energy to training, unwilling to compromise his performance off the oval track. He has one wife and one career, although the workload is notoriously difficult for an unsponsored runner. He has been ranked the number one local male athlete for 2002 and 2003 in this paper's Runner Rankings. Cooke also ranked 26th in Running Times national rankings when we spoke in January.

His racing resume includes victories at the 2002 and 2003 Kentlands/Lakelands 5K with a 13 second improvement (14:52 to 14:39); a second place at the 2003 Rockville Rotary 8K in 23:48, improving his time by 38 seconds from his 2002 winning finish of 24:26; and a lowering in time at the Outback Steakhouse 8K by 25 seconds (2003 2nd place 23:58, 2002 6th place 24:23). He also participated in last September's Zack's 5K Race Against Childhood Cancer, with a target of Russian Sergei Fedotov's course record 14:53 (2001) in mind. Cooke fell short with a winning time of 15:11, but it should be noted that a month after Fedotov posted his winning time, he placed second in the Twin Cities Marathon with a time of 2:14:14.

Patience
Ben Cooke grew up in a small town environment in southwestern Virginia's Floyd County, near Radford in the Blue Ridge. He started with basketball and cross country in 8th grade and joined the track team in 10th grade. The track coach was best known for his football teams and knowledge of the sprint events. His high school coaches guided Cooke's talent and urged him to attend summer camp. His summer training after high school graduation paid dividends at his first college cross country 5 mile race, when he went through the 2 mile mark faster than his personal best for a track 2 mile.

At James Madison University, Cooke attained All American status in NCAA Cross Country and ran close to a 4:00 mile as anchor on a Distance Medley Relay team that placed 5th in the nation. Cooke says he continues to grow as a runner and seeks events with a competitive field or prize money. Road racing is a new avenue for him with different tactics than track, but Cooke is starting to enjoy it also. [He had planned to focus on the 1500m and 5000m track events in preparation for the July 2004 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials. Knee surgery has caused a delay in his track pursuit.]