Wall St. Decathlon Reignites the Dan and Dave Rivalry

Twenty-two years ago, Dan O’Brien and Dave Johnson were on first-name basis with America. As the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona neared, an aggressive $30 million

Dan Greene | Jun 20, 2014

Wall St. Decathlon Reignites the Dan and Dave Rivalry /

Twenty-two years ago, Dan O’Brien and Dave Johnson were on first-name basis with America. As the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona neared, an aggressive $30 million Reebok ad campaign made stars of Dan and Dave, as they became known, by depicting the two U.S. decathletes as intranational rivals vying for the title of “world’s greatest athlete.” Unfortunately, reality didn’t quite adhere to the narrative: O’Brien shockingly failed to clear a height in the pole vault at the U.S. trials and was left off the Olympic team, rendering him a spectator while Johnson earned the bronze despite a stress fracture in his left foot. Though O’Brien would set a decathlon world record later that fall and win gold in the event at the ’96 Games in Atlanta, for many, the lasting legacy of Dan and Dave is of a much-hyped showdown failing to come off.

This weekend there should be no such problems. Despite being well removed from their days as world-class competitors—O’Brien, 47, is now a volunteer track coach at Arizona State, while the 51-year-old Johnson coaches women’s track at Oregon State—they will lace ’em up on Sunday at St. John’s University in New York City as special guests at the RBC Decathlon, an event created to determine the best athlete on Wall Street while raising funds for New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Founded in 2009 by Dave Maloney and Marc Hodulich, onetime Auburn track teammates turned financial analysts, the event has raised more than $3.5 million in its first five years, including $1.4 million a year ago.

O’Brien participated in the event last year, raising $100,000 from a sponsor by doing 17 pull-ups. As that stat might indicate, many of the event’s 10 disciplines differ from its Olympic counterpart—out with the javelin throw and shot put, in with the football throw and stationary row. But in a conversation with Edge this week, O’Brien and Johnson seemed less concerned with the event’s competition than its cause.

Edge:How did this come about?

Dan O’Brien: Last year I competed in the event and Dave Maloney and Marc Hodulich were definitely interested in getting past Olympians to take part. Since I did it last year, I thought it was natural to try to get Dave Johnson on board and kind of reignite the rivalry that we had.

Edge:Dave, did you agree to it right away?

Dave Johnson: I looked at it at first and I was going, ‘Oh, no.’ I’ve been working as an administrator and teacher at the collegiate level and sitting at a desk for quite a bit. But then I saw it as an opportunity to work a little bit harder than I normally would like to and get a little fitter than I normally would be—and raise money for pediatric cancer research and hang out with Dan and have some fun with the Wall Street boys.

Moment of Triumph: Crossing the Finish Line

South African marathon runner, Hendrik Ramaala holds his hands in the air as he prepares to cross the finish line to win the 42.2km Bombay International Marathon.

Japanese Naoko Sakamoto crosses the finish line in the Osaka International Women's Marathon at Nagai Stadium in Osaka.

Said Regragui crosses the finish line in third place in his first ever marathon race at the Stockholm Marathon in June 2003.

Paula Radcliffe crosses the finish line to win the 2003 Flora London Marathon at the Mall in London, England.

Catherine Ndereba crosses the finish line at the 104th Boston Marathon.

Tony Iniguez (L) pumps his fist as he crosses the finish line to win the wheelchair division of the Chicago Marathon in October 2000.

Joseph Chebet crosses the finish line to win the Boston Marathon in 2009.

Irina Bogacheva #F8 crosses the finish line winning first place during the Los Angeles Marathon in 1999.

Moses Tanui crosses the finish line to win the men's division in the 100th running of the Boston Marathon.

Uta Pippig crosses the finish line to win the women's division in the 100th running of the Boston Marathon.

Jenny Spangler raises her hands in celebration just before crossing the finish line to win the 1996 Women's Olympic Marathon Time Trials held in Columbia, South Carolina.

Ibrahim Hussein raises his arms as he crosses the finish line to win the Boston Marathon in 1992.

Rob de Castella celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the marathon event during the World Championships at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland.

Rosie Ruiz is shown moments after crossing the finish line of the 84th Boston Marathon in April 1980. Ruiz was later stripped of the victory after it was revealed she hadn't completed the entire race.

Marathon winner Bill Rodgers crosses the finish line in Central Park.

Stanley Biwott crosses the finish line of the 36th Paris Marathon in April 2012.

Raji Assefa (L) crosses the finish line ahead of Sisay Jisa (R) during the 36th Paris Marathon in April 2012.

Silas Kipruto crosses the finish line to win the 2012 Jakarta International 10K marathon in May 2012.

South Africa long-distance runner Ludwick Mamabolo crosses the finish line to win the 89km Comrades Marathon between Pietermaritzburg and Durban on June 3, 2012.

Gold medalist Tiki Gelana (C) crosses the finish line ahead of silver medallist Priscah Jeptoo (L) in the women's marathon at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Jessica Augusto of Portugal crosses the finish line during the Women's Marathon on Day 9 of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Uganda's Stephen Kiprotich waves his national flag as he crosses the finish line to win the athletics event men's marathon during the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 12, 2012 in London.

Jeanne Collange celebrates with supporters after crossing the finish line of the 29th edition of the Embrun Man triathlon in southeastern France.

Kenyan runner Julius Kipyego Ketter crosses the finish line to win Medellin's Flowers Half-Marathon in the Colombian city of Medellin.

Jan Fitchen celebrates after crossing the finish line during the 39th Berlin Marathon in September 2012.

Gemma Steel of Great Britain crosses the finish line with Tomomi Tanaka of Japan during the 20th IAAF Women's World Half Marathon in Kavarna, Bulgaria.

Japan's Akinori Obara crosses the finish line of the 30th Athens Classic Marathon in Athens Panathenaen stadium in 2012.

Chelengat Viola Kimetto crosses the finish line of the 30th Athens Classic Marathon in 2012.

Adriano Bastos crosses the finish line to win the 20th Annual Walt Disney World Marathon at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Ethiopia's Tariku Jufar Robi crosses the finish line to win the men's portion of the Beijing Marathon in November 2012. A total of 30,000 runners took part in the race.

Kenya's Vincent Kipruto gestures as he crosses the finish line of the Lake Biwa Marathon in Otsu, Shiga in March 2013.

Yoshimi Ozaki crosses the finish line as she finishes 5th at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo, Japan.

Helena Kiprop crosses the finish line to win the 19th Rome Marathon on March 17, 2013.

Ethiopia's Tilahun Regassa celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14, 2013.

Priscah Jeptoo crosses the finish line to win the women's race in the 2013 London Marathon.

Tsegaye Kebede crosses the finish line to win the men's race in the 2013 London Marathon.

Kurt Fearnley pumps his fist as he crosses the finish line to win the men's wheelchair race at the Virgin London Marathon 2013.

Nicholas Kemboi of Qatar celebrates winning as he crosses the finish line in the Volkswagen Prague Marathon.

Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat crosses the line to win gold in the Women's Marathon during the 14th IAAF World Athletics Championships in Moscow, Russia.

Stephen Kiprotich crosses the finish line to win gold in the 14th IAAF World Athletics Championships Moscow.

Stephen Kiprotich crosses the finish line at the 14th IAAF World Athletics Championships Moscow in 2013.

Colombian runner Juan Carlos Cardona crosses the finish line to win Medellin's Flowers Marathon in 2013.

Rita Jeptoo crosses the finish line to win the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October 2013.

Ethiopia's Tadese Tola Woldegeberel (C) crosses the finish line to win the Beijing Marathon in October 2013.

Zhang Yingying crosses the finish line to win the women's race at the Beijing Marathon.

Wilson Chebet celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the Marathon of Amsterdam on October 20, 2013.

Geoffrey Mutai crosses the finish line to win the Men's Division of the New York City Marathon while former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (L) and New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly (R) hold the tape.

Marcel Hug crosses the finish line to win the Men's Wheelchair Division of the New York City Marathon on November 3, 2013.

Anthony Forte crosses the finish line to win the Foot Locker Five Borough Challange in Central Park during the 2013 ING New York City Marathon.

Meb Keflezighi crosses the finish line to become the first American to win the Boston Marathon since 1983 on April 21, 2014.

Edge:Do you find your names are still linked? Do people bring up the ad campaign a lot?

DJ: Quite a bit. Kids are getting a lot younger. A lot of them weren’t born at the time Dan and I were doing our thing, so some of the kids I’ve been talking to don’t really know what it’s about, but their parents do. So you end up meeting parents of kids and working with other coaches and wherever you go, that’s the first thing they say: ‘You’re one of those Dan or Dave guys, aren’t you?’ You’ve gotta let them know which one you were. But it’s fun. It allows you to have a vehicle to tell a story to promote athletics and to promote the Olympic dreams.

DO: I’ll be walking through an airport and someone will look at me and go, ‘You look familiar—you’re that guy.’ They’ll call me Dave and I don’t usually even correct them because hey, it’s 50/50. But we’ve got those recognizable faces. People know us from somewhere but they’re just not sure.

Edge:What do you have to do to get ready to compete in an event like this?

DO: I try to stay fit throughout the year, but when you prepare for an event you need to look at the event and prepare for those particular events. Last year I came in just reasonably conditioned. I was surprised at the level of competition and how good a lot of the top guys were, but also how competitive everyone was. This year I’m about the same shape and I think Dave made a big effort the last three months to get in a lot better shape. He’s probably in the best shape I’ve seen him in in the last couple years.

DJ: That is true.

Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson talking shop at the Modesto Relays in Modesto, California. — Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson talking shop at the Modesto Relays in Modesto, California / Getty Images

Edge:What did you do to get in that shape?

DJ: It’s like anything else: you set a goal and you make a life change and you begin what it takes to get ready. My daughter and I work out together a little bit, which has provided a way for me to spend some time with her. You develop this team of people that keep you going. If you do it by yourself, it’s gonna be tough.

Edge:Dan, having done it last year, was there a particularly challenging event?

DO: They’re all challenging because they’re best efforts—your max rep pull ups, your max reps bench press, you’re running as fast as you can. It’s just a really, really intense workout. If you’re going to the gym and say ‘I’m gonna do as many pull ups as I can,’ imagine what that feels like and then add three more on there. You’re burning up. They give you a lot of time between events to get ready for the next one, but when was the last time you ran a 40-yard dash all-out? I’ll run decent in the 40 but I don’t want to hurt myself doing it. And I don’t think anyone looks forward to running a timed 800 meters, no matter what shape you’re in.

Tips from the Pros: 12 Things Never to Do in a Marathon

Edge: Having been elite international athletes, how do you train differently now compared to when you were younger?

DO: When you’re training for the sport, it’s about function. I think as you train in your regular life, it’s more about form. You want to look a certain way, feel good. I’ve got some back issues and I do PT a couple days a week and I know if I’m not strong then my back’s gonna hurt. I train a lot now because I like to eat. I know if I eat more and I don’t train much, then I’m gonna get heavy.

DJ: Same for me. As an athlete, I was training at a level where I tried to train at the very edge, where I’d send my muscles to a level where they might get hurt. I’d always train right at that threshold. When I’d step into a competition I’d say, ‘That’s where I’ve been training but I’m going to compete at three or four levels above that.’ With this, you’ve gotta train where you’re at. You’ve gotta be careful to not hurt yourself. I’ve been training at a level where I’ll kind of push it to the edge, which is very different than it was 20 years ago. I’m just looking forward to the test. You just try to step into it and try to reach those other levels that you never thought you could, according to where your body is at this point in your life.

Edge:So, the million-dollar question: Who’s gonna win between you two?

DO: There was a time in our lives when you cared who won. It meant a lot to you. Later in life, I think my friends get mad at me because I don’t care if I win in golf or if I bowl a good game. The results of competing are kind of just out of my system. I probably won’t give a second thought. But I have the edge because I competed last year. [Laughs] Dave is doing it for the first time and he’s older than I am, so I might have the edge there.

DJ: Those are both true statements. I’ll get him in a couple events and hopefully push him. And there will be some events where I’ll be watching him from behind. But no matter what happens, we are there for a big reason and that’s to raise some money. The companies involved are really trying to make a difference and it’s huge.

Published Jun 20, 2014

DAN GREENE

Dan Greene is a writer and reporter for Sports Illustrated. He has been with the magazine since his internship in 2010. He lives in Brooklyn and primarily writes about college basketball.