A Brief Chat With Brett Gotcher

By Peter Gambaccini

Photos by Victah Sailer

Brett Gotcher, the 2009 USA 20K champion in 58:57, will make his marathon debut at the Chevron Houston Half 

Marathon on January 17. Gotcher's big breakthrough as a professional runner came in Houston a year ago at the USA Half Marathon Championships (on the same day as the marathon), when he finished third in 1:02:09 behind Meb Keflezighi and Dathan Ritzenhein. Gotcher is a Stanford graduate who competes for McMillanElite, coached by Greg McMillan and based in Flagstaff, Arizona. His other 2009 results include a seventh at the USA Cross Country Championships and another seventh at the USA 15K in 44:09. Internationally, he was 75th at the World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan in March and 64th at the World Half Marathon in October in Birmingham, England in 1:05:43. In 2008, Gotcher was fifth in the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships, helping McMillanElite win the team title. He was 17th in the 10,000 at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials; his 10,000-meter best is 28:27.79. Back in 2003, Gotcher, a native Californian, was the U.S. Junior and Pan American Games Junior champion in the 10,000.