Seven-time Wanamaker mile champion Eamonn Coghlan and four-time Wanamaker winner Bernard Lagat On Monday spoke to the New York Track Writers on Monday. They discussed the 100th Millrose Games, the second stop of USATF's Visa Championship Series, which will be held this Friday evening at Madison Square Garden. The 100th Millrose Games will be televised Friday from 7-9 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2 and Saturday from 2-3 p.m. on NBC.

A three-time Olympian for Ireland and former world champion at 5,000 meters, Coghlan is affectionately known as the "Chairman of the Boards" for his exploits at Millrose, where he holds the record for Wanamaker victories. As the Millrose Games Web site (www.millrose-games.com) states, "Coghlan is to the Wanamaker what New Year's Eve is to Times Square."

A two-time Olympic medalist, Lagat will be going for his fifth Millrose title on Friday night. He owns the American indoor records in the mile and 1500 and holds the meet and Garden record for the mile with his 3:52.99 from the 2005 Millrose Games.

Below are excerpts from Monday's conversation.

EAMONN COGHLAN

Q: What has Millrose done for your life?
A: There is not a week that has gone by since I last won the Wanamaker mile in 1987 that somebody doesn't make reference to the Wanamaker Mile and the Chairman of the Boards. So it's very much an honor to be part of the centenary celebration. When I was winning the Wanamaker Mile between 1977 and 1987, little did I know that I'd still be part of the part and parcel of the Millrose Games 30 years later. To be somewhat singled out as one of the great legends has been an honor for me.

Q: Do you still run?
A: I jog maybe 3, 4, 5 days a week, depending on the week. I certainly don't go out and hammer intervals. It's more just to keep the ticker ticking.

Q: Howard Schmertz [longtime meet director], talk about what Eamonn means to this meet?
A: I really think that Eamonn is the greatest performer in Millrose history. Incidentally, he has two Millrose anniversaries this year. It's 20 years since he won his last Wanamaker mile, and 30 since he won his first, in 1977.

Q: Eamonn, how is your son, John?
A: He's a very low-key kid. When he said to me last year that he wanted to run at Millrose, the expectations from others were that he's Eamonn's son and he might do something special. He didn't do something special, but it was a statement to me that he was coming out of his shell and willing to run at Madison Square Garden. He's running well and will be running at the Irish national high school championships for cross country, then our national junior championships, to try to make the team that goes to Kenya in March [for World Cross Country Championships].

Q: Take us back to your most memorable Millrose mile.
A: It would have been my last one. That was in 1987, because in 1986, Marcus O'Sullvian beat me that year when I was going to surpass Glenn Cunningham's record of 6 wins. When I came back in 1987, I was very, very confident again. I remember the day before the track meet, we had a press conference with Steve Ovett, who was running in his very first Wanamaker Mile. He was asked about what he thought about running here. He said it was a bit of a circus. Kind of like you're running about a bathtub, except there are no faucets.

"The race is still quite clear in my mind. I knew Marcus was in great shape and was going to try to prevent me from winning the 7th Wanamaker. I just sat in the pack with Marcus. Every time we came into the turn, Marcus went high and I went low. So I felt quite confident that I was ready to nab him at any stage. Marcus made a move with 1 and a half laps to go. With 1 lap to go, I did something I never had done before. I went past Marcus in one move on the turn. I remember the noise of the crowd, wooing me on. I saw the replay on the screen. It was me coming off the turn, with Marcus with a big smile on his face, kind of congratulating me.

Q: Did you always come from behind, or did you ever lead wire to wire?
A: In 1983, I remember well. That was the year my father came from Ireland to watch me run. He actually died in his sleep the night after watching me here. That race, I took it after 440 yards. Frank Shorter was doing the commentary, and I was probably 50 yards ahead of Craig Masback, and I remember on the replay, Frank Shorter was saying "Eamonn is pulling away now, but he's looking a little bit stiff."

"The great thing about the Garden I remember the most is if I was going to sit at 2nd or 3rd, there was a certain sound from the crowd. If I was on the lead and somebody was coming up on me, there was a different sound. You could tell what was happening by the sound the crowd made, in the Garden more than any other arena.

Q: What do you think of Bernard Lagat?
A: First of all, he's a gentleman. Any interaction I've had with him, he's been a gentleman. As a runner, he's got everything. He's got speed, stamina and the passion to go with it. I think what really motivates Bernard for running indoors and at the Garden, is to win eight Wanamaker miles. He has four more to go, by the way. I think Bernard is probably one of the only milers to come on the scene since the Coghlan/Sullivan/Flynn era who really appreciates the Wanamaker mile and the history and tradition that goes along with it. He has the respect for it more than other milers around the world. I know Bernard won't be happy until he gets 7 or 8 of them.

Q: Do you think he can do it?
A: Yeah.

BERNARD LAGAT

Q: Bernard, why is Millrose so much of apriority for you?
A: I think Millrose has a good tradition, and that's what I come here for. At the same time, it's a unique event. We run a small track compared to the 200m tracks. I get a good reception in New York and get treated really good by organizers in New York. I look at them as friends.

Q: Talk about what adjustments you make to run here.
A: On this track, it's different because if you leave it [going for the lead] toward the end, I can do that in 200m track - waiting until the end. But here you have to be careful. If you are not ahead with 3 laps to go, it will be very hard for me because of the turns. I always try to be away from the other competitors toward the end. In 2002, Laban Rotich passed me with two laps to go, and I could not pass him even though I wanted to. I learned if you are not running fast enough in the front, you will have someone catch you.

"On a track like this, when you have people with speed, you have to lead from the front."

Q: How fast do you want to run on Friday?
A: It's hard to tell. With a lot of talent, the time is not going to be important, but the winner is going to be running a fast time, regardless. I won't be surprised if the winner will be at 3:54. Everyone is going to be running fast.

Q: Some meets are getting rid of rabbits. What do you prefer?
A: It depends. It's always good to have a rabbit in my case because that is when you run fast. I think for me, I prefer a pacemaker that will open up the field and make it exciting. When I got into the circuit in 1998 it was pacemaking. I've always run really well with them.

Q: How difficult was the double win in Indianapolis, winning the 1,500 and 5,000 at the 2006 AT&T USA Outdoor Championships?
A: The 1500 was not hard, but coming back in the 5,000 was a little tough for me. I didn't feel that good. I had a sideache the whole time. I think I ran too much 5,000 last year. This year I'll concentrate more on the 1,500.

Q: Is the intimacy of the Garden a factor in your races?
A: You have the difference between when somebody is about to pass you and when you are passing them. But the last two years I've always been at the front. The sound is different, and you always feel like they are passing you.

Q: Tell us about your foundation.
A: The Bernard Lagat Foundation is a foundation I started because I wanted to have the academic side of Kenyan students made easy. When I was in school, there were students who came from poor families, and they can't afford to pay tuition. So I pay for school fees for 10 students in a school, and 10 from another school, based on academic merit. To be honest with you, you find kids who are #1 in their class but they owe the school money. The foundation is going strong. I am hoping to increase the number of students, because I know it goes a long way to help them and will help them get into university. I started it in 2004. After I won the Millrose games in 2003, I used that money to start the foundation.