Brannigan Has Another Golden Opportunity at World Para Athletics Championships

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Mikey Brannigan turned 23 years old Tuesday and his pursuit of running greatness continues.

America’s most famous autistic runner will compete Thursday at the World Para Athletics Championships in the 1,500 meters.

Even as he grows older, and even taller, Brannigan’s intellectual disability remains steady. A sub-four miler, his mental function operates at a 6-to-11 year-old level.

“It’s been a challenging year for a lot of reasons,” said Brannigan’s coach, Sonja Robinson. “His friends are graduating from college and he didn’t get to go. They’re getting engaged, going on fabulous trips for bachelor parties, things like that.”

Robinson sees improvement in Brannigan’s development as a runner, but she also believes that it will be a long-term process for him to reach his potential.

First of all, he hasn’t stopped growing. He has grown a couple of inches since he graduated high school at Northport NY and has topped six feet.

“He puts on a little weight, like three or four pounds, and then we measure him and lo and behold he’s half an inch taller,” Robinson said. “He’s over six feet now. What if he gets to 6-2?”

It’s one of the reasons Mikey’s progress in running remains somewhat unpredictable.

“He’s grown so much physically,” Robinson said. “I’m cautious in terms of training because I don’t want him to get injured. He doesn’t really know what it is to have an injury, because he’s never had one. He cannot really tell me what’s going on when he has discomfort. He might say ‘My hamstring is tight’ and point to his calves.”

Mikey’s natural ability to run fast and not get injured is one of the reasons why Robinson sees a long arc to his running career.

“I’d rather have him running fast at 30,” Robinson said.

After Mikey’s season ends with Thursday’s 1,500 meters in the T-20 category, plans will be made for 2020 and beyond.

“We will figure out what will be Mikey’s best training situation to take the next step,” Robinson said. “Getting through Worlds (this week) and Tokyo (the 2020 Paralympics) is next. I have, for the past 2-3 years, been trying to figure out the next training situation and training group.”

Mikey has a standing invitation to work out with the HOKA ONE ONE New Jersey/New York Track Club, which he sometimes takes advantage of.

And five times this year, he went to Colorado Springs and trained with the American Distance Project, which includes Paul Chelimo, Hillary Bor, Stanley Kebenei, Shadrack Kipchirchir and Leonard Korir.

"He was extremely welcomed by the guys, who just took him in as one of their own," ADP coach Scott Simmons said. "I think a lot of them are considered as 'other' sometimes as well, and so they understand that about Mikey. It was interesting watching him going stride for stride with Paul and the rest of the guys."

Mikey held up well in workouts with some of the country’s best athletes in those sessions.

"He's awesome," Simmons said of Mikey. "He's overcome challenges to do something in running not just at a paralympic level, but also a world elite level."

He already has a gold medal from the 2016 Paralympics from Rio de Janeiro and two more gold medals and a silver medal from the 2017 Para World Athletics Championships in London.

He rallied from 30 seconds down with 600 meters to go in the 5,000 meters and earned a silver medal in 14:39.87, finishing 10 seconds behind the winner. The race came less than 48 hours after running an 800-meter semifinal and final and winning gold in 1:54.24. He also won the 1,500 in a meet record time of 3:53.05.

“He really showed mental toughness (in the 5,000) and he gave it his best shot,” Robinson said. “He just had so much lactic acid in his legs. There’s only so much you can do.”

This week finds Mikey in his sweet spot, the 1,500 meters.

“This one’s going to be hard,” Robinson cautioned. “It’s not going to be a walk in the park for him. He’s going to have run a tactically smart race.”

Learning tactics is something that comes through repetition and he gained some valuable experience over the summer with his first European mini-tour.

After training in Cardiff, Wales, Mikey raced five times in two and a half weeks – two para events and three IAAF meets.

“Being invited for the Morton Mile (in Ireland), that meant a lot,” Robinson said. “His family is Irish and it was very emotional for him.”

In Paris, he completed his race and spent time signing autograph cards.

“He’s embracing what it means to be a professional athlete.”

So far, Mikey’s only sponsorship arrangement is with the New York Athletic Club. Robinson believes Mikey’s best running, and biggest impact on the sport, is yet to come.

“He has the athletic talent and ability to be one of the best in the world,” she said. “We have to adjust to the way he thinks and processes information, and that might take a little bit longer. He was on a high school team for five years and only broke out as an 11th and 12th grader.

“It’s going to take time and someone needs to invest in him.”