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Tutskey

678 Days, 20 Months, 2 U.S. Championships: Daniel Tutskey's Journey to the Top of the World

| By: Joe Ginley '16, SID
The JCU Track & Field and Cross country Coach won the 100m and 200m in the 40-44 age group at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships this past weekend.
AMES, Iowa -- A breakthrough can be a day away.

Just a week ago, Daniel Tutskey experienced self-doubt and thought about quitting after a painful workout as he prepared to race against some of the fastest runners in the world. 

Today, the John Carroll University Track & Field and Cross Country coach is a U.S. Champion and leading the world.

Tutskey, the associate head coach for track & field and an assistant coach for cross country, won not one but two U.S. Championship races this past weekend. Tutskey won both the 100m and 200m dashes in the 40-44 age group at the 2021 USA Track & Field Masters Outdoor Championships.

"I'm very happy with the results," said Tutskey, 41. "This is the first time when I've raced when I've felt totally satisfied with what I've done. Often when you race, you find something to fault yourself on. But I'm really thrilled with the results."

The U.S. Championships are the culmination of thousands of hours of workouts for Tutskey. The journey for Tutskey to championship glory began 20 months ago.

On Monday September 19, 2019, Tutskey began his quest with his first dedicated workout. No novice, Tutskey was a 9-time All-American at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, helping the Eagles win both indoor and outdoor 2001 & 2002 NCAA Division III Championships. He qualified for the 2002 and 2003 USATF Outdoor Championships in the 100m dash and the 2006 USTAF Indoor Championships in the 60m dash. In the 100m dash, Tutksey was ranked 48th in the U.S. in 2003 (10.34 seconds) and 127th in the world in 2002 (10.30). 

Tutskey's first workout was a 6x200m with 3:00 rest. He ran times of 33.34, 30.57, 29.93, 30.71, 33.07, and 31.87.

"It started with the idea of giving myself a full year of training to see what I could do at my age with consistent training," Tutskey said. "It formed into a habit. I lived up to a standard, pushing myself through these workouts."

In the middle of his year-long workout regimen, a pandemic struck down his plans of competing in 2020. He had hoped to race in the 60m dash at the indoor championships in Louisiana, slated just a week after the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, which were canceled right before the start of competition. 

Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, Tutskey continued to train in the spring of 2020. He posted to a Facebook page with fellow World Championship competitors, sharing his story and workouts. 

Following a workout on June 18, 2020, Tutskey decided to take a brief break. The sprinter took 10 days off from running, hitting the reset button. On June 28, he began again. 

Tutskey ran relentlessly for the next few months until the cold Cleveland weather crept in. He continued to train and keep active, but not quite as consistently. Tutskey had another challenge to begin. 

In December 2020, Tutskey joined the JCU Track & Field and Cross Country coaching staffs. Immediately, the work began to prepare the Blue Streaks for indoor track & field season. 
 
"You have to put the athletes first, so I trained when I could," Tutskey said. "I trained as consistently as possible, but I worked with the athletes first."

Following JCU's successful effort at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in late May, Tutskey redoubled his efforts. With more time to train, Tutskey threw himself wholeheartedly into the workouts to prepare. 

A mere week before the USATF meet, Tutskey found himself disheartened after a painful workout. His body ached and he didn't feel he was in a good position to compete.  

So, he did what many athletes often do: He reached out to his former college coach and mentor. 

"He told me that I had to continue to push forward," Tutskey recalled. "Just because you have a bad day and you're not sure, you can't give up. You have to get to that next day, because a break through can be a day away. You never know when you'll have that big performance. My coach said, 'You can't give up. You're better than you think you are.'" 

Tutskey's coach was right, but it wouldn't be easy. 

When Tutskey arrived in Ames, Iowa for the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships, the temperature difference from Northeast Ohio was palpable. The coolest day was 90 degrees on the day before he competed. The weather was very hot and sunny. 

The schedule also threw a wrench in Tutskey's prep. At meets such as the Masters Championships, timing of events is sometimes flexible depending on the number of entries. It's a waiting game for when your event is called forward. 

Not long before the start of the 100m dash preliminaries on Friday, late scratches occurred during warmups. So, the prelims for Tutskey's 40-44 age group were scrapped, placing him in a waiting game until the finals the next day. That places a mental strain on you as an athlete.

However, the positive of it was connecting with his fellow athletes. 

"I had the chance to meet the other competitors, many of whom saw my posts on our community Facebook page," Tutskey said. "They were inspired by my workouts during the pandemic to work towards bettering themselves. That was a very rewarding experience, I didn't expect to hear from anyone, let alone take pictures with me."

On Saturday, Tutskey took the track again for the 100m finals. Delays ensued, but this time, he raced. And he raced fast. 

Having only ran one official 100m race in five years, you might say Tutskey was at a disadvantage, as he was placed in Lane 1, though he knew he had a strong shot to win based on his training time. Some racers prefer to be in the middle lanes amidst the action, but Tutskey didn't mind.

"The 100m is my primary event. I went in with the mindset of 'I can only control my outcome.' I could focus on myself on Lane 1," said Tutskey. "We were taken onto the turf five minutes before, and I did a hard acceleration. I told myself I was ready. At the blocks, I was thinking a few different things. I couldn't get my left foot to where I wanted to be, I was a bit too far forward. But then the starting gun went off, and I don't remember anything but the finish."

And what a finish it was. Tutskey clocked in at 10.82, first not only in the race, but in the world. 

Upon hearing the time, Tutskey did his best Herb Brooks impression.

"When I finished and heard the time, I had a jolt of excitement," Tutskey explained. "I jogged right off the track and to the warmup area, I couldn't believe what I had done. I didn't expect to run that fast. I was so excited. When I came back to the track, the official asked me if I had heard the time. I saw it on the scoreboard again, but I still couldn't believe it.

"678 days later, it ended with me saying, 'I am a National Champion and ranked #1 in the world in the 40-44 age group in the 100m.' Not bad. And as a former UW-La Crosse alum would yell before the start, 'Outta Lane 1!'"

Tutskey took his time enjoying the moment, but didn't dwell on it too long. After all, his work wasn't finished. He had to return to the track to prepare for the next day. 

And during his prep work for the 200m dash, he experienced bad muscle cramps. A harsh Iowa sun didn't make life easy on Tutskey. 

But the Blue Streak returned to the track on Sunday, ready for the 200m dash. It would be no less difficult. 

"My goal was to have the early lead, take a breath, re-channel my focus, and win the race," Tutskey said. "I don't remember anything from after the gun until the finish. But again, I managed to win the race. I'm always envious of people who can walk away after a huge meet and be happy. There's always something I want to improve or something I think I could have done better. That wasn't the case this time." 

Tutskey again won, with another incredible time. He clocked in at 22.55, besting all comers and tallying second in the world at his age group. 

As Tutskey reveled in the moment, he reflected upon his journey. In total, his quest spanned 678 days and 20 months. 

Not bad for a 41 year old. 

"The performance from Daniel this weekend shows his continued passion for the sport," said JCU Head Coach Kyle Basista. "At the same time, it's motivating to our student-athletes. It shows his overall commitment and buy-in. He doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk." 

Respectful of the 24-hour rule of not resting on your laurels, Tutskey's focus shifted forward again as he trekked back to Cleveland. 

"I reflected on the journey I traveled, culminating in all of this, where I started and how I got here. I started thinking about the challenges of next year," Tutskey said. "Defending my championship, facing younger guys, trying to win two in a row. Next year are the Indoor Nationals in New York, a week after the NCAA Championships. Last season I missed the chance to compete in the 60m dash, and I was .04 off the national record. I'm always thinking of what's next. 

"After all, if you don't get to the next day, you'll never know if tomorrow is your day."

Tutskey's attitude is certainly inspiring for the John Carroll student-athletes he coaches. 

"I've been training this summer at JCU and I see Coach Tutskey there all the time working on his technique, so it's not a coincidence he won his events and ran so fast," said junior Mick Doyle. "He is a great coach who knows what it's like to be in the athlete's shoes because of his history and the fact that he still is one. 

"Coach Tutskey really took me under his wing this year and helped me improve in all phases. I'm really looking forward to the next few years with him and I hope he doesn't take my 4x100 spot down the road! He's a great sprinter and a great person."
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