Background

As a sub-4 miler (3:59.85) in high school, Nate Brannen was heavily recruited by US colleges and chose Michigan largely because of alumnus Kevin Sullivan, whose career as a miler Nate had admired growing up. At Michigan, he and freshman roommate Alan Webb were the first two sub-4 high-school milers to run for the same program. By the time Nate ended his Michigan career, he had tied Sullivan’s school record of four NCAA titles and broken his national indoor mile record – with the second-fastest collegiate indoor mile in history (3:55.11) – at the 2005 Reebok Boston Indoor Games.

Later in 2005, Nate made the World Championships team when he hit the “A” standard at the last possible qualifying race, chopping more than three seconds off his personal best in less than three weeks to do so. It was a sweet triumph, especially after a severe ankle sprain in May 2004 had ended his hopes of making the Olympic team for the Games in Athens.

After earning a Commonwealth Games silver medal and winning the Canadian 1500m title in 2006, Nate's 2007 season came to an early halt when he sustained a herniated disc near the base of his spine. After missing five months of training, he had surgery in November. Then began the long comeback. On New Year's Day he began running again - for just 30 seconds - and on July 6, 2008, Nate claimed the runner-up spot at the Canadian Olympic Trials at 1500m, but there was a hitch: he did not have an Olympic "A" standard qualifying time. Granted a two-week extension in which to obtain it, Nate came through with flying colors at the Rome Golden Gala less than a week later, running a personal best 3:34.65 to crush the A standard and earn the right to pack his bags for Beijing and his first Olympic team. "I did what I knew I was capable of doing," he said afterward. "I knew it was there."