The shape in which Ryan Gregson will mount a comeback on Thursday night is testament to Maurie Plant, a late Australian athletics luminary who was deeply important to hundreds of athletes.
Battles with COVID-19 and his left foot sidelined Gregson from running for six months last year, to the point that he’s unsure which distance he’ll specialise in going forward and simply wants to “be a good runner again”.
Despite being significantly underdone, the two-time Olympian will line up for the John Landy Mile at the Maurie Plant Meet at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium.
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He wants to honour a man who was of huge value to his career through “companionship” and connections on the global circuit.
“He was important to a lot of people in athletics,” Gregson told Wide World of Sports.
“He was the main link that Australians had to the European athletics circuit.
“I was so fortunate to meet Maurie through (coach) Nic Bideau.
“We had a lot of fun over 10 years together on the circuit.
“Maurie’s a very close friend of mine.
“Even other athletes … if they didn’t really have any connections in Europe, Maurie would be the guy that would get them into races and act as that link between their coach back home in Australia and the meets over there. He just provided so many opportunities to Australians back home and gave them a lot of opportunities.
“A massive hole has been left by his passing.”
Plant died at the age of 66 in January 2020.
Cathy Freeman, Steve Hooker and Sally Pearson were among the many Australian athletes he mentored, while fellow Olympic champions Usain Bolt and David Rudisha were a couple of the global superstars with whom he had personal and professional relationships.
“The main thing was he was just a friend,” Gregson said.
“When you’re over in Europe and you’re travelling around from meet to meet, especially if you’re not going too well, it can be pretty lonely. Maurie was always there to just keep things light.
“We became really close in the last few years before he died. Most days we would just send a text or share a meme on Instagram, and we just kept things fun, kept things light.
“We’d have dinner together at the meets in the dining hall and just talk rubbish. That was a part of it.
“He knew I had Nic there to talk about the actual running side.
“Maurie was there more for just that companionship in those long seasons away from home.”
The Maurie Plant Meet is a fixture in the World Athletics Continental Gold Series following the reimagination of the Melbourne Track Classic.
A raft of exceptional talent from Australia and abroad will compete on Thursday night, including Matthew Centrowitz, Fred Kerley, Oliver Hoare, Jarryd Clifford, Abbey Caldwell and Nicola Olyslagers.
Gregson’s wife, Genevieve, will race over 3000m as she continues her inspirational comeback from an Achilles rupture she suffered at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as time away from running for the birth of the pair’s first child.
Gregson’s struggles with COVID-19 and his left foot have complicated his hopes of transitioning from the track to the marathon.
“My main thing is … I just want to be competitive again at anything,” Gregson said.
“I’m starting with a mile. My main goal is just to be a good runner again. I know I still have that competitive drive.
“I’m still desperate to be a top athlete, and no matter what event I end up deciding to do further down the track I know that my strength has always been over 1500m. When I’ve run good over 5km, 10km I’ve always been in good 1500m shape. So no matter what event I do down the track, being good at 1500m is still going to be a key ingredient to whatever I end up doing.”
Gregson hasn’t raced a 1500m since July 2021 and hasn’t contested a mile since September 2020.
But the 32-year-old has built up to running 130km per week, as well as three hours of cycling, in his recovery from COVID-19 and his foot issue.
Stewart McSweyn, Oliver Hoare and Jye Edwards outwrestled him for 1500m selection on Australia’s 2021 Tokyo Olympics team.
COVID-19 and his foot problem dashed his hopes of featuring at last year’s world championships in Oregon and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
He’s given little thought to August’s world championships in Budapest and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Whether he’ll follow Melbourne Track Club teammate Brett Robinson in a shift from the track to the marathon remains uncertain.
“I just want to take it a race at a time. I’ve been out of the game for a long time. I really didn’t strike a blow all last year. I’ll see how (the Maurie Plant Meet) goes and if things are promising I’ll sit down with my coach, Nic, and we’ll pick the next race,” said Gregson, who held the Australian men’s 1500m record for 10 years.
“My main focus is not on any certain distance; it’s just whatever races come up.
“Just be as competitive as I can and just be a good runner again. I’ve been out of the game for a while, but that’s my No.1 goal: just to be a competitive runner again.”
Gregson said he suffered from a “strange” condition whereby COVID-19 triggered stress and an inflammatory response.
His foot problem was linked to his COVID-19 diagnosis.
“It was a serious issue that I had last year and, to be honest, I try not to think about it too much,” Gregson said.
“If you dwell too much you just probably get angry.
“It was unfortunate, but I’ve thankfully been able to get past it, which I’m grateful for, and now I have an opportunity to be really good again.
“My body feels great and I know that I’m still as desperate as I ever have been. That’s part of it. That’s one of the main factors behind whether you can be good enough: whether you really want to do it. I really do.
“I don’t exactly know what my future holds, but I know that I’ve been putting in the work and I’ll be ready to go.”
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