Competitive desire runs deep in Drew and Kyle Shackleton.
It is so ingrained in them that the twin brothers from Belmont even say it was there at birth.
“Drew was strangled by the umbilical cord when I came out normal,” Kyle said. “I like to tell people back then I feel like we got all of our competitive juices out because we got into a little fight down there.”
It is not that they have a sibling rivalry, rather, but a desire to keep improving.
Both have developed into quality distance runners for the UCLA cross country and track and field teams. They are now in their final year in Westwood and are looking to make the most of it.
Drew is having a breakout year in cross country, and Kyle, who is out of eligibility for cross country, spent the fall training for a marathon and preparing for the track season.
Inseparable start
The Shackletons grew up in Belmont and played various sports together at a young age, including baseball and soccer. They found out quickly that running would be their passion.
Their P.E. teacher in middle school had a running program the twins excelled at. They broke the mile record right away.
“When we found out we were pretty good at (running), we were successful and winning races; we stuck with it,” Drew said. “We were really into sports and considered ourselves athletes but we weren’t particularly good at baseball, soccer and basketball.”
What they learned in middle school blossomed into great high school careers at Carlmont High School. Drew and Kyle were three-time All-CIF selections in cross country. Kyle was 14th at the 2003 FootLocker Cross Country West Regionals and Drew was 29th. Kyle finished sixth in the 3,200m at the state meet in 2004.
Coming out of high school, there was the question of whether or not they would split up and pursue their own endeavors at different places.
“The way the recruiting process happened, coaches were talking to us like we were going together,” Kyle said. “I think subconsciously we kind of developed the understanding we would be going to the same school.”
Selecting where to go to college was a no-brainer for the brothers.
“I remember when we decided where we were going to go,” Drew said. “We never really sat down and pointed out the pros and cons. It was about feel, and we both had the same feel.”
Bruin tandem
It did not take long for the Shackletons to make the adjustment to college running.
Having each other there made it a lot easier to train and cut times.
“What really helps me is what benefits me as a twin with theoretically the same genetics and athletic capability,” Drew said. “When I see someone perform slightly better it makes it easier to set higher goals.”
In 2005, Kyle was the No. 2 runner for the cross country team in the West Regionals. He came in 60th place and Drew checked in at 82nd.
The following year they were the top two runners for the team at the NCAA Championships. Kyle, who was the Bruins’ No. 1 runner every meet, placed 58th, and Drew was 85th.
On the track last spring, Kyle finished third in the 10,000m at the Pac-10 Championships. Drew was 18th in the region in the steeplechase.
But the 2007 cross country season was one of the best for both. They competed in the NCAA Championships as individuals. Kyle finished in 96th place slightly ahead of Drew in 104th place in what was a very competitive season for the twins.
“Last year was the first year we had that going on because we came in the year pretty similar,” Kyle said. “He beat me in the first race. I beat him the next race, and he beat me the next race after that. By the end we had a little rivalry going.”
The rivalry was not the usual intense sibling rivalry.
“I don’t think we take it as seriously as some people think we do,” Drew said. “I think we view each other as an asset to each other. We’re not at each other’s throat. It is fun to beat him and I’m sure he enjoys beating me.”
Despite the tight races, the shared success of last season trumped both twins’ individual accomplishments.
“In terms of competing it does make every success more rewarding,” Kyle said. “It’s almost like a family experience. … To do it with your best friend and twin brother is pretty special.”
No all-nighters
Off the track and trails, Kyle and Drew have also shined in the classroom.
Both have been named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team every year since 2006. Last year Kyle was a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 8 honoree and Drew was a USTFCCCA All-Academic team honoree.
With a year-round season that starts with cross country and is followed by track, it has sometimes been difficult for the brothers to stay on top of their work.
“The time it gets really hectic is during midterms and finals,” Drew said. “We can’t afford to pull all-nighters, whereas other kids will fuel themselves with caffeine and go crazy. We have to have everything planned out ahead of time.”
The brothers believe that the running program helped them keep up with their grades and time management.
“When you have that constraint and constant requirement, we have been able to balance our lives even better because of that,” Kyle said. “We don’t let ourselves get behind in school because we know athletically we can’t afford to do that.”
The two business-economics students are currently working for an accounting firm in Los Angeles and will pursue that career upon graduating.
A breakout season
Since Kyle was out of eligibility for this cross country season, Drew has been able to stand out as one of the premiere runners on the squad.
He has been the No. 1 or No. 2 runner for the team in its regular season events and has assumed one of the leadership roles on the team.
“It has taken a while for me to take on that role,” Drew said. “Me, Mike (Haddan) and Laef (Barnes), as seniors, do take our roles seriously as the older people on the team. We all have the ability as leaders to contribute in our own way.”
The team was ranked in the top 30 this season, a feat that has rarely happened for the program as of late. The team climbed all the way up to 13th before the Pac-10 Championships and now sits at No. 26.
The team finished fourth at the Dellinger Invitational with Drew leading the way. The Bruins were fifth at the Pre-NCAA Invitational and fifth at the Pac-10 Championships, where Drew had his season-best race.
“This was the first race where I performed significantly better than (Kyle) has ever performed,” Drew said. “That was part of the reason it felt like a breakout.”
At that last event, Drew earned All-conference honors with his eighth-place finish.
“Being on the podium, top 10 is a pretty big deal,” Drew said. “I think without a doubt it’s the most competitive conference in the country. There were two Olympians on the stage. One of the guys I beat was some guy that has beaten me my entire career. It felt like a breakout to beat someone like him and be on the podium with some of the most successful distance runners in the country.”
After cross country, Drew hopes his solid year will continue on the right track.
“I have qualified for regionals but I haven’t been able to make it to the national meet or do anything big when it really matters,” he said.
Drew will transition from the steeplechase to the 10,000m or 5,000m this upcoming season to stay consistent with a cross country-style race.
“At UCLA you should always strive to be a champion,” Drew said. “The way to be a champion in our sport is to be an All-American. The only way you can score at a national level is to be in the top eight. My ultimate goal is to score in the national meet.”
NYC in 26 miles
While the cross country team was competing in the Pac-10 a couple weeks ago, Kyle was across the country running in the New York City Marathon, his first-ever such event.
“I decided to do it just because I knew I was going to have to take the season off from cross country,” Kyle said. “In the fall I’m used to competing and I think it’s an essential part to be successful in track also. … Everything pointed towards a full marathon. It was an easy decision.”
Over the summer, Kyle was coming off of an injury and took a trip to New Zealand with a friend. He used that trip to get back into his training, and it helped him prepare for the marathon.
Kyle spent three weeks living in a van and running. He said that the trip gave him confidence to do the marathon after the injury.
A marathon was something he wanted to do so he debated between an event in Chicago and Sacramento before deciding on New York, one of the biggest marathons in the country.
“It ended up being the timing,” Drew said. “November was perfect because I knew these guys would be peaking at that time for cross country season, so I knew if I would be training with them it would be a good time for me to compete.”
Kyle started preparing for the marathon by doing tempo runs that progressively increased in distance and pace. Two weeks before the event he was up to 21.5 miles at a pace 20 seconds slower than what he wanted to run.
During the actual marathon, Kyle made a mistake that turned out to pay off.
“I misread one of the signs and I think it was actually a blessing,” Kyle said. “I thought I was running too slow but I was running too fast at that point but I sped up even more and ended up putting myself in a group of all these foreign guys who were just clicking consistent 5:20 mile paces.”
Kyle crossed the line in his blue and gold UCLA jersey in 2 hours, 20 minutes and 38 seconds, right where he wanted to finish. He was the 17th finisher in the 38,000 runner field and the seventh American.
What he remembers most about the marathon was the throng of people.
“In Central Park I did a little hand wave to pick me up because I was kind of struggling at that point and I was excited to see the crowd,” Kyle said.
“No one was cheering and all of a sudden everything erupted. I felt like I had New York City at the tips of my fingers. It was a pretty powerful experience that I’m not sure I’ll be able to have again. It definitely got me through the last couple of miles.”
Another marathon?
Marathons could certainly be something the Shackletons get into after they graduate and move on from UCLA. Kyle is pushing Drew to join him next fall when he runs another one.
“I’ve always thought I could do well in it,” Drew said. “I feel like the longer the distance the better off I am.”
Drew spent the summer running longer and harder than ever. For an eight-week span he did a 20 mile run every Sunday and felt good by the end.
“I’m good at finding the rhythm and staying focused which is what I think is the most challenging aspect from what I heard,” Drew said.
“Seeing what (Kyle) did … enhanced that feeling about my confidence and what I can do.”
Kyle wants to keep going after his experience a couple weekends ago.
“After the marathon … I think it would be irresponsible for me not to pursue (marathon running),” Kyle said. “We have talked a little about running a fall marathon next year. We know we can get the Olympic trials time (2 hours and 19 minutes) on a fast course if we stay in shape after track.”