Ford Palmer (born October 6, 1990) is a professional

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to . The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distanc ...

who specializes in the

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilometers ...

and the

mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...

. He ran in the men's 1500 meters at the 2016 US Olympic Trials.

Running career

High school

Palmer attended

Absegami High School Absegami High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Galloway Township, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey The student body comes from Galloway Township.

Galloway Township, New Jersey Galloway Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and a growing edge city to neighboring Atlantic City. At of total area of land and water, Galloway Township is the largest municipality in the state.

, where he played as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the school's

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team. Outside of football season, Palmer ran on Absegami's track team as an

800 meter The 800 metres, or 800 meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event sin ...

runner. However, after suffering a total of four

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

s over the course of high school, he gave up football in order to focus on running. At New Jersey's 2009 Meet of Champions, Palmer placed third overall in the boys' 800 meter race in a time of 1:52.24, his best result in high school.

Collegiate

Palmer attended and ran track at

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its university charter, c ...

, where he was coached by Chris Tarello. After graduating from high school, Palmer's weight at one point was as high as 205 pounds. In his first two seasons at Monmouth, his training volume was considerably low at 25 miles of running per week. As a junior, a physical check-up revealed that Palmer had

high blood pressure Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. It is, however, a major ri ...

. After the diagnosis, he watched '' Forks Over Knives'', after which he began a pescetarian diet, which he maintained for a year. Subsequently, he tried a

vegetarian diet Vegetarian diet may refer to: *Vegetarianism *Vegetarian cuisine *Plant-based diet (i.e., not necessarily stemming from vegetarian beliefs) *Veganism {{Disambig ...

, after which he fully transitioned into a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

in 2011. By the end of Palmer's senior year at Monmouth, he not only changed his diet but also lost 51 pounds and recorded a mile time of 4:00.4.

Post-collegiate

After graduating from Monmouth in 2013, Palmer began working as a

bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep or barman or barmaid or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the Bar (establishment), bar, usually in a licensed bar (establishment), establishment as ...

while training under coach Frank Gagliano with ''New Jersey New York Track Club''. In early 2014, he was close to quitting the sport as he worked some overnight bar shifts in order to support himself. He made a career breakthrough on August 1, 2014, when he won the

Sir Walter Miler The Sir Walter Miler is an outdoor mile run, one mile race held annually at Meredith College in Raleigh North Carolina, typically the first Friday in August. The race is named after Sir Walter Raleigh. It is directed and promoted by Sir Walter Ru ...

in 3:57.61, his first ever mile under four minutes. In January 2015, Palmer signed a professional contract with

Hoka One One Hoka (stylized as HOKA and formerly known as Hoka One One) is a sportswear company that designs and markets running shoes. It was founded in 2009 in Annecy, France and had been based in Richmond, California before it was acquired by Deckers Bra ...

. The following year, he raced in the men's 1500 meters at the 2016 US Olympic Trials, but did not progress beyond the first heat. Palmer has divided his time living with his mother in Galloway Township and his father in

Upper Township, New Jersey Upper Township is a large Township (New Jersey), township in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township, and all of Cape May County, is part of the South Jersey region of the state and of the Oce ...

.McGarry, Michael
"Former Absegami High School runner Ford Palmer chases 4-minute mark in mile"
''

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The Designated marke ...

'', July 19, 2014. Accessed September 27, 2017. "Palmer's mother, Gina, lives in Galloway Township, while his father lives in Upper Township. He splits his time between both homes."

Notes

* The "i" after a result indicates an indoor performance.

References

External links

Profile at IAAF
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Ford Living people 1990 births American male middle-distance runners Absegami High School alumni Monmouth Hawks men's track and field athletes People from Galloway Township, New Jersey People from Upper Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from Atlantic County, New Jersey Track and field athletes from New Jersey 21st-century American sportsmen