Written by Sam Voss

Leer at World Indoor Championships in 2014. Credit; http://beardwatch.co.uk/category/football/

In 2013,The Running Times published an article, cleverly dubbed, “The Year of Leer?”  At that time, U.S. miler, Will Leer, had just set his personal record in the 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m races, and tied his personal best in the one mile, with a time of 3:56.39 minutes, on the outdoor circuit. In that same span, Will captured two National track titles, in the 3000m and mile races, at he Indoor National Championships, in Alburquerque, NM. It was, indeed, ‘Leer’s Year.”

But if that’s the case, then what was 2014 to him? From the Indoor Championships in 2013, to now, Leer has not only one-upped his own bests in the outdoor 1500m and one mile, he, too, has set a personal record in each one of the indoor races he competed in. Smashing his own 1500m, one mile, and 3000m records by more than 20 seconds combined.

Oh, and did I mention that he was also awarded the prestigious, Sports Beard of the Year Award, that same year. This dude set 2 personal records in the 6 different outdoor events he competed in, broke his own speed in all 3 of his indoor races, and, all the while, sported a better beard than any other athlete in the world, according to BeardWatch.co.uk

So was that the secret? Fear the beard?

Well I was lucky enough to get in touch with Will, through TotalSportsus.com, and the truth is that there’s no denying that a lot of it was a result of hard work. For the difference between his performances in 2013 to 2014, Will credits his coach, Ron Warhurst, and his “growth as an athlete.” The progression of his abilities under Warhurst has lead, naturally, to  “more intense workouts, more mileage and more directed work in the weight room.” And if there was one workout that best helped with his speed, it was hill repeats. Will explains how hills “help build strength, improve running efficiency and therefore improve speed.”

But still, I had to ask. Could any of this tie in with the scruffy chin fur; could any of his recent successes really be a result of the beard?

“There is a shocking correlation,” Will replied, “between my best races of last year and the presence of my beard. When I shaved in early August,” he said, “I never really found my stride again after that. Never again shall I make such a mistake.”

“More than anything,” Will speaks of his beard, “it is fun!” Credit; https://twitter.com/william_leer

2013 may have been the “Year of Leer” in Running Times Magazine, but in 2014, he grew out the beard, and beat almost all of his own records that he set the year before. When I asked him if there is more still left in the tank, he responded, confidently; “of course I believe I have more personal bests in me.” No one can say for sure if it was, or wasn’t, Will’s facial hair masterpiece that lead him to his fastest year on record, but I’d like to believe it was.

For now, Leer is spending his time in Flagstaff, Arizona. Since winning the Millrose Games’ Wananaker Mile, an event he cherishes as his favorite indoor meet, and coming in second at the World Relay Championships on the U.S. 4 x 1500m relay team, he has been living and training in Flagstaff, where he enjoys running outside, or at the Northern Arizona University indoor track. I want to thank him for doing this interview with me, and also Total Sports US for helping set it up. Read the full Q&A below, and check out Will’s blog here for more!

Along with founding and writing for Runnerstongue.com, Sam Voss writes forRunSafe.me. While looking for a new fitness app to track his runs and share his workouts with friends, he stumbled upon theRunSafe App, and later got in touch with the co-founders, Violet and Sharif, in late 2014. Since then, he has been writing for both blogs, contributing to content marketing on other forums, and composing articles on running, tips, and reviews for everything runner-related. Along with being an avid runner and writer, Sam also enjoys hiking and biking in his free time. Check out more from Sam onTwittter and on the RunSafe Blog!

Read the Full Interview Here!