The men’s 400m hurdles is one of the most competitive events in the sport of track and field. Elite athletes from around the world gather to compete with the hopes of being the best in the event at any given track meet.
Some of the current superstars in the event include world record holder Karsten Warholm, Rai Benjamin and Alison Dos Santos, just to name a few. But there’s been an athlete that’s shown this season that he means business, and his passion, consistency and perspective has proven just that.
His name is CJ Allen.
Allen’s brand is built on faith, patience and hard work. He believes that the reason that he’s enjoying the success that he’s achieving this season on and off the track is due to his hard work paying off.
“I just think hard work pays dividends,” he said. “And you know, I’m saying dividends don’t necessarily come at the end of this week, they don’t necessarily come at the end of this month. Sometimes dividends are 5, 10 years down the road, so for me, it’s like I’m getting paid eventually.”
Allen prides himself on a strong work ethic, and building toughness during the hard times. He’s grateful for the support that he’s gotten, especially from his new sponsorship from ASICS. While the world may be learning about Allen on the track now, he takes pride in the consistency that he’s shown throughout his career.
“I don’t want anybody to give me anything,” he said. “It’s nice that people are in my corner. It’s nice when people are helping me out. ASICS coming through was huge, and I’ve been incredibly appreciative of that and all the coaches and support and stuff I’ve had over the years – it’s been amazing. I’ve had great support staff, I’ve had a ton of people going out of their ways to help me in my career. But at the end of the day, I’m gonna work regardless. I do train alone, I am out there in the pouring rain by myself, and it is just me. All the support is really nice and it’s greatly appreciative and I don’t have the words to express that. But for me, I’m gonna grind regardless, I’m gonna go get it regardless.
And I think that my progression is proof of that. I’ve been patient and consistent for so many years. And now it’s like, okay, I’m having a breakout year where people are noticing me for the first time or whatever. And it’s like, okay, but I’ve been there. Maybe you didn’t see me, but I’ve been there. And so that’s just kind of like my mentality too.”
Faith is an integral part of Allen’s journey and his life. It helps give him the proper perspective in the good times and the tough times. It’s also been one of the reasons why he’s been able to stay consistent in the sport, in his schooling and in other areas in his life.
“I’m a devout Christian, and so I believe that God’s plan for me is whatever comes to fruition as long as I’m working for him and glorifying his name. So for me, yes, it’s tough. Like do I get stressed? Absolutely, I’m a human. Is it tough at times? Sure. I’m not saying that it’s not tough, especially when it’s freezing cold, and it’s pouring rain. I’m not, I’m not so out of my mind and disconnected from reality, where I’m like, this is my favorite thing ever. That’s not what I’m saying. For me, it’s just that patience and a part of that process. For me, there’s no expectation of something coming to fruition, there’s no expectation of reward. But if you work long and hard enough, you seem to get real lucky.”
On top of his day-to-day training on the track, Allen is in the process of finishing his doctorate in chiropractic and his Master’s degree in sports health science at Life University in Georgia. He will graduate with both degrees in September. His ultimate goal in obtaining these degrees is to give back to the sport of track and field.
“I feel like chiropractic was a relatively easy choice because one, I can be an educator on all things performance, at any given time,” he said. “I don’t necessarily have to be confined to that one thing, I can still take care and provide for people and help them heal from injuries and overcome obstacles that can be very detrimental.”
Allen doesn’t shy away from challenges that he faces when it comes to being a professional athlete and being in school. He views it as a reward instead of a punishment.
“For me the work is a reward, which I know, might seem crazy to some people,” he said. ‘But I look forward to training. I look forward to going to school, I look forward to coming home and cooking a good meal and I look forward to those things. For me, that is the reward in itself and I think that’s something that’s given me the consistency to go over time. I can keep doing this because I love it and it’s something that I enjoy doing.”
