Davis Kicks Off Pro Career at Barrios Run

When Marc Davis left San Diego High in 1987 on a scholarship to Arizona, he already had acquired a good deal of confidence, having won a Kinney National Cross-Country Championship and having more than held his own among elite runners in the 1986 Carlsbad 5,000.

Now, five months after leaving Arizona with a degree in child psychology, Davis acknowledges that confidence might have boiled over into a certain cockiness.

“My favorite all-time quote is by Noureddine Morceli,” a world-class middle distance runner, Davis explained. “He said, ‘Sometimes in a race I wonder who will come in second and who will come in third.’ And that’s my attitude all the way. I believe in that.”’

Upon escaping the world of collegiate competition, Davis, who will run in Sunday’s Arturo Barrios Invitational 10-kilometer run along the Chula Vista Marina, saw no reason to turn humble.

“I’ve graduated from the minors, so now it’s the big time,” Davis aid. “I’m excited and optimistic. I think I’ve proven myself with the big boys. When I won the Phoenix New Times last year that made me realize I was ready for the real world.”

In November, Davis, mostly on a whim, decided to enter the New Times 10K in Phoenix. He remembers being awed by the elite field at the start line, but mostly he recalls kicking by everyone to finish first in 28 minutes 48 seconds, then having to turn down the prize money so he could protect his college eligibility.

“I had to turn down a lot of good money, so that was a disappointment,” Davis said of the $2,200 paycheck he tore up. “The way I looked at it, though, was that I got to say, ‘Hey, here’s a little taste, you guys. In another six months it’s going to be for real.’ I got a little cocky and said, ‘Here I am. Get ready. This is only a little warning.’ ”

On the precipice of a professional career, it is not the money Davis looks forward to.

“The money is obviously great,” he said, “but there are certain accomplishments that you want to attain that go along with it, that make you feel a little bit better than the money will: Making world teams, making Olympic teams, running well at this road race, running well at that road race.”

Davis, who now lives and trains in Palo Alto, is not bashful about voicing his belief that he can run with the best the world has to offer--he only wishes he had the chance to do so in Barcelona. In fact, Davis was among the favorites during the U.S. trials in the steeplechase. In the first of three rounds, he set a personal best (8:33.4).

“I literally PR’d every time I ran the event this last spring,” Davis said. “I started off in the 8:40s and ended up in the 8:30s. I think I was capable of running in the 8:20s.”

But in the second round, Davis went up to a barrier in a crowded field and amid all the jostling, he failed to attain clearance height and smacked his knee into the hurdle.

“I finished the race limping and the crowd was extremely supportive,” Davis said. “That made me feel good, but at the same time, it was tough because I knew I could have been one of the ones. I was told I was going to be one of the people that goes to the Olympics.

“It’s not like I went away knowing I just wasn’t good enough. And that’s the toughest thing to go away with.”

So Davis, 22, marked it down as a turning point.

“I’ve learned to adjust a little bit,” he said. “You’ve got to have an attitude, but not an attitude . There’s a difference between the two and I used to have both. Now I’ve learned to just be real confident. Sometimes people see it as cocky--I just see it as extremely confident in my ability.”

ARTURO BARRIOS INVITATIONAL

What--There will be several races beginning at 7:30 a.m. Sunday with a five-kilometer run/walk. A people’s 10K will follow at 8:30 followed by the invitational 10K at 9:45.

Where--The races will be held along he Chula Vista Harbor between J and L streets.

Fee--The cost--$17 for adults, $12 for children under 12--includes T-shirt and the usual assortment of post-race refreshments. For entry forms, call 275-5440.

Elite race--Several top runners have been assembled for both the men’s and women’s races. In the men’s field, Ed Eyestone, Alejandro Cruz, Bill Reifsnyder and Andres Espinosa all will use the race as a tune-up for the New York Marathon. They will be challenged by Kenya’s William Musyoki, who won last year’s Barrios race, Mexico’s German Silva, who finished sixth at this distance in Barcelona, and local favorites Thom Hunt and Marc Davis. The women’s field has several outstanding foreign competitors, including: Wilma Van Onna of the Netherlands, Olga Appell of Mexico, Carmen De Oliveira of Brazil Tamara Karliukova and Inna Poushkariva of Russia and Maria Trujillo of Canada.

Purse--$20,000 will be divided among the top nine finishers in both the men’s and women’s races with $4,000 going to the first-place runners.

Directions--Unless you live south of Chula Vista, head south on I-5, exit at J Street and head west toward the marina.