Idaho duo going the distance

They aren't exactly two peas in a pod, but the Idaho distance duo of Barry Britt and Markus Geiger are pretty close.

Britt and Geiger have had a remarkable year for Idaho.

During the cross country season the duo split, with Geiger finishing ahead of Britt in three races, and Britt having the advantage in three.

At the WAC Cross Country Championships, Geiger placed third while Britt was sixth, but at the regional meet Britt came out ahead finishing the 10,000-meter course in 30:38.17 while Geiger was right behind at 31:05.45.

This past track season has been much of the same as the two continue to train together, race together and put up striking times.

Last week, Britt was named the WAC track athlete of the week after running a 14:08.9 time in the 5,000 at the Mt. SAC Relays. It was the best Idaho time in 29 years. On Saturday he followed with a career-best 3:55.71 in the 1,500 at the Beach Invitation.

Geiger was named the WAC track athlete of the week on March 29 after running a career-best 14:21.83 time in the 5,000 at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival. That time was the fastest by a WAC runner since 2006, and the fastest by an Idaho runner since 1997.

During the indoor season, Geiger won the 5,000 gold, was runner-up in the 3,000 and was named the Co-Track Performer of the Year.

The Vandals are moving into the heart of their track season, and barring injury, Britt and Geiger are headed for some great finishes.

They travel to Washington State this weekend, and have three meets left before heading to Hawaii and the WAC Championships that begin May 10.

"I'm very excited," Geiger said. "Look at the season with high expectations of Barry, of the whole team, heading to Hawaii and the WAC Championships. I think it's going to be interesting."

Getting to Idaho was no small trick for either runner.

Britt, who grew up in New Brunswick, Canada, began his collegiate career at Georgia State, took a semester off and then came to Moscow.

Britt said he wasn't able to get a visit Idaho in time to make a decision on where to run, so after visiting the Georgia State campus he liked it there and signed on to run.

But after his first year his coach ran into some complications with the administration and resigned. He left school for a semester, contacted Phipps, and ended up at Idaho.

"I was a little uncertain with the coach and the program and I wanted to go to a school where I got to pick my situation, so I went home for a semester and looked at options," he said. "It worked out better than I could have imagined."

Geiger grew up in Germany, ran at the 2007 Under 20 European Championships but had to wait a year to run for Idaho because he had to complete his civil service obligation to his country.

"I was ranked in the top 10 in Europe at that point for under 20 and coach (Wayne) Phipps thought I would make a good fit for his team," Geiger said.

"... I knew I still had a year of civil service to in Germany, so I couldn't come over right away, which was a good thing," he said. "This way I could practice my English and take the tests and apply to the university."

While working on his English skills, Geiger used his athletic skills to push through his civil service duty.

"I decided to civil service at a sports club very close to my home town, and essentially was a coach for track and field, volleyball - mostly kids' sports," he said. "It was a fun experience. Challenging. Straight out of high school and I didn't have any experience with kids at all. But it was a very good year."

Once they arrived in Moscow, the two runners jumped right into the runner scene and it didn't take them long to find success and become good training partners.

It would be easy for them to feel some animosity between each other, but that's not the case. Both admitted they want to win every race they are in, but both also said it's been nice and helpful to be pushed so hard by a teammate.

"Someone to push with yourself makes it a lot easier," Britt said. "And being in a race, it's comforting to look to your left or to your right and see an Idaho jersey."

School is one area that's a marked difference for the two runners.

Both are committed to getting their degrees, but Geiger knows what he wants to do and Britt is just focused on getting a degree.

"I wanted to be on the team and get degree to put on a resume to show that I'm teachable," Britt said. "I have no clue what I want to do so I'm in general studies right now."

Geiger, in part, picked Idaho as his school because of its engineering program.

"One year from now I'll be graduating in electrical engineering, and who knows what will happen after that," he said. "Possibly get a job in Boise with Micron. I'm doing an internship there this summer. It all depends on how things work out."

But for now, the two juniors are focused on their outdoor season. And if the next three weeks are anything like the rest of the year, that season will be extended past the WAC championships and to regionals and maybe beyond.

Sandra Kelly can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 231, or by e-mail to skelly@dnews.com.