By Cecil Harris

After not running up to his high standards at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials – Men’s Marathon last November, James Carney decided not to get mad but to get even. In his next big race, Carney abandoned the conservative approach and ran aggressively, winning his first U.S. title at the USA Half-Marathon Championships in Houston in January. His winning time of 1:02:21 was more than 11 seconds ahead of runner-up Jason Lehmkuhle.

Carney, 29, promises more of the same the rest of the year. He and Fasil Bizuneh are the newest members of the formidable KIMbia racing team. Carney is about to relocate from Boulder, CO, to Eugene, OR, the site of the upcoming 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – T rack & Field, where his goal is to qualify in the 10,000 meters. He ran a 27:43:64 at Stanford last year, and finished sixth in the 10,000 at the 2004 Olympic Trials. But he is stronger and more experienced now.

And Carney is not done with marathons, either. He had never completed the 26.2-mile distance before running a 2:16:54 at the Trials, good for 14th place overall. But it was not good enough for the determined Carney, a former small-college runner at Division II Millersville University in Pennsylvania, who has earned his place among the sport’s elite.

Carney will line up against the best on March 15 at the USA 8K Championship in New York’s Central Park. New York Road Runners caught up with Carney as he drove home following a workout in Boulder.