Photo by Craig FritzTribune

Tribune

University of New Mexico junior miler Lee Emanuel nears the finish line in one of 10 400-meter workouts at the UNM track. Emanuel, a transfer from England, was named the Mountain West Conference track athlete of the week after breaking a 24-year-old UNM record in the mile this past weekend.

Photo by Craig FritzTribune

Tribune

UNM's Lee Emanuel (center) stretches with teammates before practice. UNM track coach Joe Franklin said of Emanuel: "He's one of the most talented guys I've ever seen, absolutely gifted."

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Hunched over, hands on his knees, Lee Emanuel was a portrait of exhaustion during a wind-chilled practice at the University of New Mexico.

Emanuel's pose illustrated something else in the mind of first-year Lobos track coach Joe Franklin.

Potential.

Of course, it helps to know what Franklin knows.

Franklin describes Emanuel's level of fitness as marginal. That explains why Emanuel still labors to catch his breath during workouts.

Yet even while Emanuel's endurance is under construction, he still runs a mile faster than any Lobo in school history. Emanuel broke Ibrahim Hussein's 24-year-old record last week. That explains why Franklin sees such a sparkling future.

"If he gets fit and can stay healthy and injury free, he's going to be unbelievable," Franklin said, after readying his distance runners for today's Husky Classic in Seattle. "He's one of the most talented guys I've ever seen, absolutely gifted."

Emanuel's ability wasn't always so transparent to Franklin.

From his home in England, Emanuel fired off several e-mails to college track coaches across the country. One arrived in Franklin's inbox with little fanfare. Like many other coaches, Franklin receives these self-promoting e-mails constantly. He got two more in a five minute span before chatting with a reporter Tuesday.

"I didn't see anything that really impressed me," Franklin said.

The problem was Emanuel had recently returned to the track. His times still didn't reflect his talent.

Emanuel, a former soccer player, took up running at age 14. He had ability. He had success. He enjoyed it.

But soon the joy drained. Minor illnesses interrupted Emanuel's training. He'd make progress, then lose it while he waited to recover from various respiratory sicknesses.

"I just kind of lost interest in the sport," Emanuel said. I did it for so long, then I just kept getting sick. It was getting me down a bit."

So for three years he stayed away from track.

Emanuel stayed in reasonable shape through recreational sports. He didn't have a car, so he walked a lot. He thought often about running again.

A magazine provided the final push that put Emanuel back on the track. It featured a cover shot of one of his former rivals.

Said Emanuel: "I remember thinking, `If he can do it, I can do it.' "

Slowly he tried to round himself into form. Emanuel's break might have forced him to push a bit to get back into shape, but he looks at the time off as a positive.

"It gave me a different perspective on life about running," he said. "It sort of made me want to go back into it. Now that I'm back in it, I think it's a lot better because I love competing."

Soon he was at the computer, researching American schools that had British runners. He came across UNM and wrote to Franklin.

The Lobos coach stayed at his computer, too. With the help of a Swedish Web site, Franklin monitored Emanuel. It's a regular practice, a way of verifying the accolades that prospective athletes highlight in their e-mails.

"He kept getting better and better and better," Franklin said. "He also kept winning. It might have been slow times, but he was winning everything he was in."

Eventually, Franklin brought Emanuel across the Atlantic. This past fall, Emanuel ran for the UNM cross country team. He wasn't in good enough shape to finish his first race without stopping.

"I was thinking, `Oh, my gosh, what am I doing?' " Franklin said.

By the end of cross country season, Franklin stopped worrying. Emanuel had progressed. Despite his limited conditioning window, Emanuel was among UNM's top five runners.

Another illness caused what Franklin called a month of poor workouts. It seemed Emanuel would be behind again.

But he's made up for it. Emanuel's record-breaking time has him ranked 19th nationally and third in the Mountain West Conference. He finished in front of two All-Americans.

"For him to do what he's just done in five weeks (of strong training) is pretty impressive," Franklin said.

He hopes it's just the beginning.