(Photo provided by Alec Sanbeck)
First of all, how did you first start running?
I began running the summer going into my 7th grade year because I realized, going into high school that I didn't really care much for football and that I didn't want to play it anymore. In elementary school, we used to have to run the mile for gym class and I was always one of the first ones finished so I figured that I had some kind of ability in running.
What are all your personal records, including cross country?
My personal records are 4:39 in the 1600, 2:00 in the 800, 53.3 in the 400 and 16:13 in a 5K.
Do you do, or have you done, any sports other than track and cross country?
I used to ski in 7th and 8th grade, and I played basketball from 9th through 11th. I played baseball up until 8th grade before joining track. That decision definitely payed off for me!
What is your favorite or most memorable race you have ever run?
My most memorable I have ran would have to be the State Meet this past fall. Being as how it was my senior year and last cross country race as a Mora Mustang, I was just super excited to get after it for one final race with all of the people I have raced with throughout my high school career. There was so much competition in that race, but even though in the race they are my competitors, as soon as the race is over we are all friends. That is why running at the State Meet is definitely my most memorable race. Being able to come away with our third state title in a row was the perfect ending to a high school career.
What is your favorite or most effective workout you have done?
I would say the most effective workout we have done is hill repeats. The hill we mainly do them on is roughly a 200 meter steep dirt hill and doing those are always really fun and we can all see the results that they give us.
What was special about Mora's Cross Country team the past several years that enabled you to win three State Championships in a row?
Something that was special about our team I think is that we all got along. We all joined our 7th grade year and we've all seen how hard each of us works and we've all gotten a lot closer as friends. We hangout all the time, whether it be hanging out after a meet or going camping for a weekend and downhill skiing. We're all best friends and we all want to see each other improve and succeed in the future. That's one of the things that I think is special about our team. We all get along and we are all best friends. If you look at any of our instagram accounts, you can see just how much we all mean to each other.
Who are some of your favorite athletes to compete against (other than your own teammates)?
Some of my favorite athletes to race against other than my teammates are definitely a lot of the people that I have met at the State Meet and other big meets. Tyler Moore from Little Falls is always one of my favorite people to race against just because he's a heck of a competitor and an amazing person and we get to race against him quite a few times throughout the year being as how Little Falls is in our conference. I also really enjoy running against Lake City senior Carl Kozlowski and La Crescent senior Zack Emery along with Michael Mitchell from The Blake School. We run against them a couple times throughout the year and it's always a lot of fun because we are all close to the same speed which normally leads down to a great finish.
(Photo provided by Alec Sanbeck)
Now that it is over, what are some of your
thoughts, wishes, and/or reflections as you look back on your high school cross
country career?
Some thoughts that I've had thinking back over the years is just that I wished it went by a lot slower. And also to never take it for granted because other people would give anything they can to be in your shoes.
What are your main goals for this upcoming season?
Some of my main goals for the upcoming track season are first to qualify for the Hamline Elite Meet again in the 4x800, and hopefully another event whether it be the 1600 or 800 meter. We also want another chance to win the 4x800 at the State Meet because last year we took second overall while running out of the slower heat and we had to watch Fairmont beat our time by 6/10ths of a second, and that was really frustrating. I want to be able to help our team and score as many points as I can in meets to hopefully get our team better than it was before. Our team has amazing athletes who all work extremely hard and who all want to do the best for our team. Individually I want to get my 800 time to around 1:55 hopefully and my 1600 to around sub 4:20. If I ever run the 3200 I just hope that I am close to my teammate Michael Schwinghamer who prefers the 3200.
Do you have any college plans?
Looking towards college, I am either attending Moorhead State or South Dakota State University and I am going to run both cross country and track at whichever one I end up deciding to go to. I am uncertain on what I will be majoring in but most likely either criminal justice or something in the medical field,
What are your biggest attractions to both schools?
South Dakota State just has a super nice campus and training facility and I would be able to train with some of the best runners from that region. MSU-Moorhead just seems like a well-rounded and focused team. The coach seems very similar to my high school coach and he was able to transform a 4:29 miler in high school into a 4:05 miler in his junior year of college so he obviously knows what he's doing along with the XC team going to nationals the past three years.
Do you have any rituals or superstitions either on or off the track?
I don't really have any rituals before I race other than a quick prayer.
When not running miles or turning left, what might we find you doing?
When I'm not running, I will most likely be either playing piano or basketball. I always get together with some guys in the morning before school and we always play a couple games of basketball to start the morning off. I also really enjoy reading and most weekends I always hangout with some of the guys from the XC team and we normally either go running or just hangout.
How long have you been playing piano?
I originally started piano lessons in 3rd grade but I quit them after two years because I just didn't care for them. Then the past couple years I've been teaching myself again to impress my girlfriend actually and now I can play a lot of pretty difficult pieces just from re-teaching myself and will actually be playing a piano solo for our spring band concert.
Tell me one bizarre fact about yourself.
One bizarre fact about myself would probably just that I am always wearing something neon. Whether it be my shirt or my shorts or every time I run I wear my long neon yellow Nike socks that match my spikes.