For most student a 12 to 15 mile journey around Columbus is accomplished in their vehicles, but that is an average day of running for Ohio State track and cross country athlete Brian Olinger.

Olinger is training for a provisional qualifier or “last chance” track meet in order to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 5000-meter. The meet is being held at Notre Dame this Friday.

In order to automatically qualify for the NCAA meet, Olinger will need to run a time of 13 minuets, 53 seconds. He can also qualify by maintaining his current position based on his best time ran during the season.

“I am going to try and take care of business myself,” said Olinger, who ran an OSU indoor record of 13:54 in the 5K two weeks ago in a meet at Iowa State.

The NCAA Championships are schedule for the following weekend in Arkansas.

“He pretty much got a slot at nationals,” OSU track and field coach Robert Gary said. “We talked most of the year about him finishing in the top five.”

The top eight American finishers in the 5K are awarded the status of All-American, which is one of his goals, Olinger said.

However, the thought of being an All-American seemed out of his reach when he first competed at OSU.

“I was getting my ass kicked for the first two years,” Olinger said. “Then I realized if I am going to do this, I am going to do it right. The Big Ten is the toughest conference and it immediately put me in my place.”

Gary said he knows Olinger worked diligently to overcome his initial struggles.

“He was in over his head when he got here,” Gary said. “But he went home over those first two summers and trained hard.”

That hard work resulted in a Big Ten Outdoor Championship in 2004 in the 5K.

“Being in running condition is a progression that takes years and years of training and conditioning,” Olinger said.

His running career began in junior high school in Fresno, Ohio, and was inspired by his father, who was also a cross country runner, Olinger said.

At Ridgewood High School, Olinger was the 2000 state cross country champion and the 2001 state champion in the 3,200-meter run, while being named to the All-Ohio cross country team.

Olinger, now competes for OSU in indoor track, outdoor track and cross country.

The cross country season takes place during autumn quarter and indoor track competes during winter quarter. The outdoor track season follows the indoor season and competes during spring quarter.

“It is like having three separate season inside of one long one,” Olinger said.

Olinger plans on redshirting the upcoming outdoor track season this spring to prepare for his best event, the 3,000-meter outdoor steeplechase.

“I think I just started to learn to train,” Olinger said. “I want to get bigger and better and push my body to new limitations.”

He will compete for OSU next season in cross country and indoor track, but his focus will be on the steeplechase.

“It is not out of my limitations to win the NCAA’s next year,” Olinger said. “Winning a NCAA championship is huge.”

He will have the experience and knowledge of a two-time Olympian at his disposal.

Gary, who will enter his eighth season as cross country and track and field distance coach, competed on two U.S. Olympic teams in the steeplechase.

“He has that good strength, but it will come down to if he can get the hurdling down,” Gary said. “I think next spring will be a tell-tale sign. If he can run 8:30, he will have a shot at making the Olympics.”

“If it is something that he wants, he can definitely do it,” Gary said. “Making an Olympic team is a very special thing.”