#6 -USATF Age Group Nationals 4x400 1996 Houston TX
This race was and has always been one of my favorites for years for a few reasons. My team was was real good but our lead off leg had a strained hamstring. Usually he would have run 47 lead off but all he had to give us on this day was 50. That pretty much put us out the race. We did have a 48 and 47 to follow him though. I was running 45-46 splits all year and just happen to lay down a 45 again for my last race of the summer. The thing that stood out to me the most is that looking back...that race had some outstanding athletes and some later became great on the college and pro level. Before the race the hype was Obea Moore who was then and still now a legend in T&F and his team LA Jets. They had a damn good team but the race begun when Dwight Philips who was then a 400m runner was running for East Atlanta on 2nd leg. From the 3 turn break the, at that point I dont think I had heard a crowd that loud EVER! He put down an amazing leg on 2nd and gave his team the lead. 3rd leg went around and I was about to get the stick. I watched Angelo Taylor take the stick first...Then Obea after him...The Brandon Couts who was running for I believe Wings out of Texas...then 3 others and then finally me. I was in 7th place running and trying to watch the race at the same time. Angelo has a couple meters on Obea & the whole stadium you can hear chanting Obea's name. In my own ignorance I was thinking that Obea would catch him as well. I had no idea who Angelo was or what he was capable of doing at that point. East Atlanta ran 3:06 with Angelo running a 44 on anchor with Obea chasing also running 44. Couts team was 3rd. My team finished 4th but thats because I realized I had to stop watching the race and try to catch the 3 people in front of me which I did...LMAO! An unconscious 45 split.
#5 - Olympic trials 2000
My first Olympic team...How could this not be a favorite. I had never run 48 seconds before and leading up to this meet I had run 4 races prior to and they were 49.11, 49.09, 49.07, 49.03. I was getting frustrated as hell! A good friend of mine told me to keep pushing and it will come when the time is right. After the first round, I ran 49 and I was mad that I got 2nd in my heat and ran sloppy as hell. My coach at the time told me that I should go see the chiropractor there. I had never seen one before. All I knew was, "put some ice on it." I go see Dr. Rich and he ask how I am doing and all. He then ask me when was the last time I saw a chiro...I said never. He looked at me like what?! I told him what I ran and what I was trying to do and he laughed, then told me to lay down on the table. he popped my neck, back, checked my legs and then as he helped me up off the table he said, "Now you ready to go PR tomorrow." I laughed and said, "I hope so." He knew more then me cause when I got to the track the next day and ran my semi race that is what I did. I kept telling myself to run my race, dont think about time and place in the top 4 to make the final. I came off the last hurdle beside Joey Woody and took 2nd. First thought was, "Yes I made the final." Eric Thomas and Angelo Taylor were at the finish and both were saying look at your time! I looked up and saw 48.86...I said, "OH SHIT!" I grabbed my clothes, threw them on so fast, jumped on the bus to go back to the hotel and ran down to where Dr. Rich was. Told him I finally ran 48 and he looked at me like, "yeah I knew you would." I told him do exactly what he did yesterday LMAO! He adjusted me again and I walked back upstairs and ran into Brian Lewis. He congratulated me on my race and making the final. Told me I should take an ice bath. I was like a what?! All I had in my room was a shower so he let me come to his room and use his tub. He and my coach filled it with water and ice and I looked at them like they were out of they damn mind. "Sit in what for how long?!" However at that point I was listening to what people that were at a point that I wanted to get to were saying. Took the ice bath and went to my room, ate a sandwich and went to sleep. Got up the next morning and watch my race from the day before. Talked it over with my coach and got my game plan. Walking back to the hotel I see Angelo and he asked, "So how you feeling?" I said, "Im a little tired but OK I guess." He then said something to me that I dont think he understands probably made me realize that I was making that team once he said it. He looked at me and said, "Everbody is tired." I thought to myself..."He right. Everybody had to run so they must be feeling like me." I got on that track and all I could think about was beating 5 other people at least. I got out good, or so I thought I did cause I went over the first hurdle with the wrong lead leg. Damn it I said. Right after that I said, "Too late to fix it keep going." I ran the whole race going over each hurdle with the wrong lead leg. Came off of hurdle 9 with Angelo in the lead, Eric Thomas in 2nd and me and Joey Woody close for 3rd. I remember saying to myself, "Oh hell no!" and I picked it up over 10 separating a little and crossing the line in 3rd place with another PR of 48.46.
#4 - World Championships 2005
This race had so much leading into it. For me it started in 2004 at the Olympic games. A huge misunderstanding turned into motivation for me. The famous words of Felix Sanchez when asked about his bracelet that he wore for 4 years, "James Carter can have it." Prior to hearing those words I was ready to leave, go home and leave track alone. 2 times placing 4th in the games...I felt like doing something else. Woke up the next morning and saw the internet blowing up from what he said and I was furious. I vowed then that the next time I stepped on the track with him I was kicking his ass and making him eat those words. Prefontaine meet came around in 2005 and I felt this was my chance to get what I called my revenge. Felix pulls out of the meet with an injury. I was pissed. Me and Bershawn Jackson ran down to the wire both running 47.9 with me losing by.04 in that race. One reporter asked me after the race what I thought about Felix not running and I said, "He scared to race us right now. He know he will lose if he races us right now." I meant every word of that too. So before I went to Europe I get a Yahoo IM message from Felix about what I said. We had a few words on there and he assured me that he was not scared to race but really injured. I made it clear I was ready for whatever he was bringing and that I was going to beat him. So now I am at the World Championships and I run the first round and I go through easy enough. I watched Felix run and he seemed just fine. I was happy because I knew if nothing else I would see him in the finals. There was a 3 heat semi final and I knew they wouldnt put us 3 americans in the same heat so I knew we would get one a piece. I sat back and said, "I wonder if Felix will be in my semi?" I saw the heat sheets right before I went to bed and what do you know...James Carter & Felix Sanchez in the same semi. I didnt care about the final round at that point. I said to myself, "He will not cross that line before me." Got on the track, the gun goes off and so did I. I made up ground on him and everyone else early. Came off the 9th and 10th hurdle in the lead with Bayano Kamani in 2nd and Felix 3rd. I turned and looked at Felix coming off the 10 hurdle and jogged into the finish. I crossed the line and kept jogging all the way to where the press was. Lewis Johnson looked at me with that, "You know you wrong" look but laughing. Then he says, "So James Carter...47.7 in the semi you got to be feeling great. Tell me about the race?" I said, "Huh, what?! 47.7?!" I had not idea I was going that fast but all I knew was on that day I was going to do what I had waited almost a year to do. Two days later we had the final. It starts pouring down raining. I mean rain like I have never been in ever in my life! Kept telling myself just stay focused on why you here. Make it to that podium. The rain stopped just enough for me to get half a warm up in. I got on the track to run and the rain came down even harder. I said then, "Everyone has to run and its rain in all 8 lanes." As I made my way around the track I felt myself wanting to just pick it up and go but I had to hold back so that I didnt make the same mistake I did a year before. (Go out to fast) Down to the line again with Bershawn just edged out getting 2nd with a new PR of 47.43
#3 - Olympic Trials 2004
They year before I had a knee injury which kept me off the US world team...Not to mention later finding out that Eric Thomas was involved in some Balco nonsense. But I got my knee together and had one hell of a fall season. I ran cross country and laid down a 4:52 mile as well in the fall. I was strong as hell and I knew it. I was going to make my second Olympic team but this time around I was going to be a factor. running 21.0 and 46 indoors all off of my fall training strength, I knew all I had to do was stay healthy. A week or so before the trials my coach had me do a workout on the track with Rickey Harris and Jerome Mathis. We had to run an all out 500m. I went thru the 400m at 47 and kept going to a 60.0 for that run. I was just building confidence! I however had it out with my coach at that time about how I should run my race. I wanted to run the first 5 hurdles easy and finish strong. He wanted me to get out fast, rest in the middle and then finish as fast as I could holding on. I said to hell with it and ran the way I wanted to run. The first round went easy and the second round was a little tested with Bennie Brazell running me to the line. I wanted to win my heat no matter what to make sure I was in one of the preferred lanes. I got lane 6 with Brazell, Angelo Taylor and Bershawn Jackson behind me. DAMN IT! I said. All of them behind me I know they going to run off me. I said to myself that I had to stay within myself. When that race started I felt Angelo slowly creeping up on me in lane 5. I kept at my pace and by the 6th hurdle I was in 3rd. I was still waiting. After I landed off of hurdle 8 I said OK Im in 4th its time to move. Every step I took I felt the people in front coming back and me building speed. I went over hurdle 9 and I was in 3rd. I went over hurdle 10 and was a step or two in the lead and all I could think was get to the f---ing finish!!! I pounded my chest and then when I saw my 47.68 on the screen pumped a fist. World leader, first Olympic trials victory, 2nd US championship and a plane ticket to Greece for my 2nd Olympics.
#2 - USA Championships 2007
At the end of 2006 I had this conversation with my then manager. "What you mean its too early to talk about getting me a new contract with Nike? Its October...WTF?!" Soon after that I fired him and hired a new one. I had another injury season but was still doing enough to be ranked 8th in the world and 3rd in the USA. Nike indeed didnt want to resign me because they thought I was getting old. 29 years old is getting old? Really? I said, "OK...Im going to show you what old is." I trained my ass off and told my manger that I wanted a new contract that was better then the ones I had previously. He told me that he agreed thats what I should have. I was pissed and said hell with Nike. I was ready to run for someone else if I had to. I ran a few good races prior to the nationals that year including the Reebok INV in New York where I beat damn near everyone in the USA that year that would be at the nationals. Nike sent my manager an offer about 2 weeks before the nationals for 10K that would go to 30K if I made the national team. Before I could say anything he told me "I already told them no." I said, "OK cause thats some bulls--t!" They wouldnt budge and he told me that later on. There was decent money for bonuses but I wanted a better base. I knew that I could make the team but 30K...Kiss my a--! I asked my manager at the nationals before I ran "What would happen if I went out here and ran a world leading time winning this meet?" He said, "You would probably be able to call your own shot with your contract." I said "OK well thats what I am going to do then and make them pay me." He made it clear that if anything went wrong that I would pretty much be assed out but I was willing to take that chance. After the first two rounds and drawing lane 8 twice I got pissed and called some people and asked why in the hell I was in lane 8 twice?! I guess they got the message cause I got lane 5 in the final LMAO! My biggest competition in that race was Kerron Clement. I figured him out that year. Pressure him by hurdle 7. If he chops his steps...you got him, simple. Thats exactly what happen. I pulled up on him at 7 and kept going. He chopped the last hurdle and tried to close but I crossed the line first with a world leading time. And about a month later Nike got the contract right...well almost but it was way better then some freaking 10K
#1 - Lasaunne, Switz 2007
Couldnt believe it was the middle of summer and the temp. for race day was going to be like 40 degrees. This race had all the top runners in the event at this meet. I get to the track and I am setting my blocks. I thought I heard someone calling my name but wasnt sure. By the time I took off my sweats and stood behind my blocks I heard my name again. I had on sunglasses and I just looked over without turning my head and saw this girl holding up a sign that said "Go James Carter" on it. That was the first time that I had ever saw that and I wanted to win that race just because of that and thats what I did. It was a close one however because Kerron Clement closed on me at the line. When I saw that I won I went over to the young lady that had the sign, took it from her, turned around and took a picture while she hugged me. Thats also my favorite track pic ever too. As many things I have done in my life with running fast times, many countries, races, faces...that was the first and only time that happened and I still love it today
