Notes from Beijing: Part 1

August 12, 2008 | Written By Allison Oster ’01

While many people here in Southern California were heading home from work Monday evening, it was Tuesday morning in China, and Kevin Reid was just finishing breakfast and heading out to morning workouts with Olympic decathlete Bryan Clay.

According to Reid, men’s head track and field coach at Azusa Pacific, things are going well so far for Team Clay in China. Clay and his coaches—Reid, Mike Barnett, and Rana Reider—arrived safely last week and have had time to adjust to the time difference. With about two weeks to gear up for the decathlon, taking place August 20-22, the group joined other track and field teams at a resort in they city of Dalian, located on a peninsula in Northeast China, where they can focus on some final training before the main events.

“We’re doing what we need to do,” said Reid, speaking about Clay’s training. “Bryan’s training is going well.”

Each morning the team travels by bus to a nearby stadium for practice. Security for the team is a high priority. “They stop traffic to allow the bus through,” he said. According to Reid, officials even close the streets for the marathon runners as they practice daily. In the afternoons, Clay and his coaches have time to relax, visit the nearby beach, and watch movies.

As for the weather, Reid shared that Monday’s rain helped to clear up the air a little, and otherwise the weather hasn’t been bad, just hot and humid, comparable to summers in Florida.

Stay tuned for additional Notes from Beijing.