On Jan. 27, recent Western Oregon graduate David Ribich was toeing the line and waiting for the gun to go off to indicate the start of yet another mile-long race in his burgeoning career.
 
A journey that started in Enterprise, Oregon and included a four-year stint in Monmouth has now taken the four-time NCAA Division II champion to New York City where a much-hyped attempt at a world record was about to begin inside the famed Armory Track. 
 
In somewhat unfamiliar territory, Ribich was not only carrying the baton as a leadoff leg instead of his accustomed spot as an anchor, but was now chasing all-time world marks with his professional gig alongside teammates from the Brooks Beast Track Club.
 
Competing in the rarely run 4xMile Relay, the Seattle-based quartet obliterated the former world record of 16 minutes, 12.81 seconds by nearly 10 full ticks of the clock. Averaging a shade under 4:01 per leg, the team of Ribich, Henry Wynne, Brannon Kidder and Izaic Yorks turned in a time of 16:03.68 to set the new world indoor standard. 
 
Following the race, we caught up with Ribich and asked about life as a professional athlete. 

5 QUESTIONS WITH DAVID RIBICH
Q1: You signed with Brooks Beast and are now based out of Seattle. Talk about the experience so far.

A1: The experience has been everything I've hoped for and more. Seattle is such a beautiful city and the people I am surrounded with everyday make this 'job' so much fun. It was a quick adjustment moving to the big city in July. I can't believe it's been half of a year since I graduated already! Although I may have graduated and the city is different, the team is different and the everyday life is different; I still feel the same love from the WOU community as if I was still on campus.

Q2: What has the training and competition schedules been like and what are your professional plans for the year?

A2: It is a different world now that I am focusing solely on track and field. My main race will be in July at the USATF Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa where I'll run the 1,500 to try and earn a spot to represent USA at the World Championship in Doha, Qatar. In the meantime, I'll run a mile at the Husky Classic before gearing up for either a mile or two-mile race at the USATF Indoor Championships in New York at the end of February. 

From there, I'll head to altitude camp for a few months where I'll continue to put in over 75 miles a week to build base towards July. The training is structured differently than college with only one peak championship period instead of three. Ultimately, my professional plans for the year are to stay healthy and continue to enjoy the sport as a passion.

Q3: You opened up a relay that set a world record recently. Describe race day at the Armory while going for the record and what has the reaction been like since the race?

A3: Leading off a relay is far more stressful than anchoring. During my time at WOU where we set the NCAA DII record for the DMR I was the anchor. It's a bit strange in all honesty, setting a world record and saying I was a part of it sounds so odd. However, we set a focus on this goal in October to use as momentum into the outdoor season. The other guys on the relay have been so great in my rookie year and told me that they knew 100 percent that I was handing off the baton in world record contention. With them having confidence in me I knew I could live up to their prediction and be a part of something truly rare. We were racing against the previous world record holders so we knew it would come down to each of us doing our individual job to reach the collective goal. For my leg, we were a tad slow through 800 forcing a fast 1:58 final half mile to hand off the baton on pace. Our final leg, Izaic York, blistered a 3:57 mile securing a large margin of victory. It was a truly surreal weekend. 

Q4: You've had a little bit of time to reflect on this since gradation, looking back, how did your years at WOU prepare you for this next step?

A4: WOU prepared me for this step the best way possible. I am not sure these dreams would have been possible had I gone anywhere else for college. From the day-to-day conversations with coaches, staff and professors, they helped ease my mind and let me focus on the present. From my teammates constantly pushing me in practice I knew if I ever got the chance to be a professional they had prepared me. And Division II as a whole, DII prepared me to create my own platform, my own voice and helped forge an identity that I boast proudly coming from a small school competing with the big dogs.

Q5: Since you graduated, you also became a published author. What has the response been from the running community and how can people find out more and purchase a copy of your book 'Small School, Big Dreams'?

A5: The response for "Small School Big Dreams" has been incredible! To be honest it has been far more successful and reached for more people than I could have imagined. It's been sold internationally and throughout the United States. The best surprise came from Des Linden, 2018 Boston champion, messaging me a photo of her with my book saying, "can't wait to read". That was a shocking moment of 'Wow, this is actually a book!' You can purchase the book directly though myself over social media (Instagram, Twitter or Facebook) or it can be purchased on amazon.com by simply typing, "Small School Big Dreams" on the search bar.