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| Winning the 1600 at State Track last year Courtesy: inforum.com |
As a freshman in cross country, he placed 10th, and at state track he placed 8th in the 3200 meter run. As a sophomore, he placed 3rd at state cross country, 6th in the 1600 at state track, and 5th in the 3200 (while also placing 7th in a 4x800 relay).
Last year as a junior he began to break out, finishing 3rd again in state cross country, while winning the 1600 and 3200 at state track. His 1600 was fast (4:13, won by seven seconds and 5th fastest in state history), and his 3200 was blazing (9:09, 3rd fastest in state history), and this was on top of also running the 800 and placing 2nd, while also placing 7th as a member of the 4x800 relay.
This year as a senior so far, he was state cross country champ with a time of 15:30, completing a four year all-state running career. He has quickly become a dominant force in distance running in North Dakota, and has committed to running at the University of Minnesota this fall. Let us meet Hunter Lucas:
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NDRunner: First off, congrats on your state cross country championship
in the fall! What was that race like? How did it play out for you?
Hunter Lucas: Thank you. The race for me was a rollercoaster, I took the
lead right from the beginning like I always do. I went through the first mile
feeling really good and relaxed. But after about 2 miles I started to not feel
so good, I developed a bad side cramp and I was unable to tell where I was on
the coarse because I had missed the 2 mile sign, as it was on a wooden pole in
the trees and hard to see. I finally realized were I was when I was going up a
hill and saw the 3 mile sign so I knew there was only .1 left in the race.
Going into the straight away I was hurting from the cramp that I had gotten,
probably due to not eating enough before the race and conditioning my body had
gone through due to a long summer track season. With about 50 meters left I
glanced over my shoulder and saw Leif (editor's note: Leif Everson of Williston) right behind me, I just told myself that
I’ve been leading this race the whole time and there’s no way that I’m going to
let somebody pass me at the end and just kicked as hard as I could for that
last 50 meters.
NDR: You’ve won a few titles now for distance running in this
state. What race stands out to you as the most memorable?
HL: That’s a hard question, they all stick out to me because of
what went on in each of the races. If I had to narrow it down, I think that my
1st state championship title in the mile sticks out to me the most.
It was my first state title and after you go through the training and workouts
and pushing yourself every day to reach your goal, it took the weight off my
back and I was able to focus on the other races I had coming up.
NDR: Are there any runners or other athletes that you look up to
or draw inspiration from?
HL: Steve Prefontaine is the
runner I look up to, that’s who I learned to take the lead right away from and
go hard every race that you have.
NDR: Out of all the different high school sports out there, why
run cross country in the fall and track in the spring?
HL: In
7th grade I went to the cross country meeting to get out of class. They
said that they ran to Dairy Queen once a week, so that’s what got me into it. After
a little bit I didn’t want to run to Dairy Queen, I just wanted to run and not
just go to get ice cream. After that I knew I loved running so adding track for
my spring sport was a guarantee.
NDR: What are some of your goals moving ahead into this outdoor
track season?
HL: My goal is to defend my two state titles (mile
and 2 mile) and try for the 800. I also want to keep moving up within the top
all time times in the state within each of my races. (editor's note: a list of top ten all-time in North Dakota can be found here: http://www2.bhs.bismarck.k12.nd.us/athletics/bhsboystrack/alltimelist/alltimeabboys.pdf)
NDR: Where is your favorite place to run?
HL: My favorite place to run in Fargo is by my house, there is a 6 mile box
that I can run and if I need to do more for the day there is a little box that
I can add to get 10 miles and still finish at my house.
NDR: What does the Fargo Davies team mean to you? How have they
helped to develop you as a runner and athlete?
HL: The
Davies team means a lot to me, I was the school’s first individual Track champion
and Cross champion and it means a lot to me to build on the tradition that I
was lucky to be a part of, and hopefully have people follow and add more. The
culture helped me even when I was a 7th grader, I would always run
with the older kids and try to stay with them from the time I started. One of
my best friends (Evan Kottsick), who is two years older than me and runs for
NDSU, would always turn all of our workouts, whether it was easy runs or
striders at the end of practices, into all out races and that definitely help
push me. Even now when we run together we still end in a competition, he makes
me a better runner because he pushes me. The coaching has had a lot of impact
on me as well, Troy Ivesdahl and Jason Holland know what days to get after it
and when to tell you to take an easier day and that is one of the most
important parts.
NDR: What has been your biggest challenge in running so far?
HL: The biggest challenge is eating well, that is a key part to
training and recovery and you always have to keep that in focus.
NDR: My understanding is that you plan on running for the Gophers
in the fall. What led you to pick the U of M? What are you most excited about?
HL: Yes I will be running at the U of Minnesota next year. My
decision came down to the coaching staff history and experience, the experience
I had with the guys from the team when I visited, and also former Gopher
runners and their past and present accomplishments. I was lucky enough to be
recruited by a number of great D1 schools, it was a hard decision to make but
the U of M stood out in the end.
NDR: If you could give any advice to another runner, what would
you say and why?
HL: I would tell them to trust the process
and train to your best ability every day. There is not better feeling for me at
the end of the day than knowing that I got a good run in and that I worked
hard.
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Thank you Hunter for agreeing to do the interview! Best of luck this season to all runners!
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