ND Runner Interview #4- (Almost) 20 Questions with Alex Bartholomay

 Note: this is the 4th post in a series of interviews with some of the North Dakota runners either currently making a name for themselves or at one time did make a name for themselves. To check out the others, go here. 

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On Saturday, October 23rd, 2010, on an overcast day, a 7th grader from Bowman County named Alex Bartholomay finished the hilly 5k at the North Dakota Class B State Cross Country Meet in 20:51, finishing 107th place. 

On Saturday, February 29th, 2020, a month after running a mile in 4:07, Alex Bartholomay of North Dakota State won the individual title in the 3000 meters at the Division 1 Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championships, running 8:20. 

We all love a story about the small-town guy making it big. Alex Bartholomay is currently one of the fastest North Dakotans on the track, even cracking into the top 10 all-time for the mile in this last year (top ten lists here). Coming from Bowman County, one might not expect that to be the case. The town of Bowman rests in the far southwest part of the state, close to both Montana and South Dakota. Bowman County is just slightly smaller than the state of Rhode Island and has a whopping 471 students total in grades k-12. This county sits in the heart of the 'empty quarter' of the United States, characterized by sweeping cattle country, wheat fields extending for miles, gravel roads to nowhere, and lack of services. 

And yet, historically Bowman County has been one of the strongest Class B programs, amassing dozens of state titles in boy's and girl's cross country. Today, we will meet a runner who never won a state title in high school, but has managed to become one of the top distance runners in NDSU history. 

Meet Alex Bartholomay. 

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Alex Bartholomay at the NDSU indoor facility, courtesy of NDSU Track and Field Twitter

High School:

1.)     You started off your high school career at Bowman County, surrounded by vast plains and gravel roads. Can you describe what your experience there was like?

Bowman is well-known for the success that we have had in our cross country program. We were dominant during the 80’s and in recent years have been consistent placers in the top 5 teams at state in both the boys’ and girls’ program. The tradition there is something that many of our parents started and we got to experience as well. Our coach, Jon Jahner, always kept practices fun. He understood that running was something very few high schoolers absolutely loved. He would often give us popsicles after practices which was a selling point for kids to join the program. The kids who went out for the sport showed up to practice and worked hard each day. As we improved and started receiving recognition in the polls, we enjoyed the moments, but never got complacent with where we were. A lot of that had to do with Mr. Jahner continuing to motivate us throughout the season.

2.)    Bowman County has had tremendous success in cross country historically, but you ran during a time of absolute domination in Class B Boys by New Town. What did it take to mentally prepare to race such a strong team?

 

I enjoyed the opportunity to race against the New Town boys every time we saw them. They were a group of guys who had fun doing what they did. They were very dominant, but that helped motivate me to be a better runner. I knew going into each race that there was going to be strong competition and that it was going to take a good race to stick with them. No matter how big the meet was, I was always looking for the yellow New Town uniform to measure where I was within the race.

 

3.)    What kind of training did you do in high school?  Any secret running spots?

 I was low mileage in high school, running about 20-25 miles a week in both cross country and track. Mile repeats were always the big workouts during cross season. We would also do tempo runs often. My long run during my high school career was 7 miles. Most of the workouts during track season would be done on the track doing a little bit more shorter reps. I would train five or six days a week depending on our race schedule and would not train during the winter because I played basketball.We would have about 5 different roads that we would bus out to for practices. They were not anything special, just gravel roads with the typical rolling hills that are found in western ND. We never got too adventurous when it came to finding roads to run on.

 

 

4.)    Your junior year of high school you finally cracked the top 20 at state cross country (finishing 7^th) and the top 8 at state track (6^th in both the 1600 and 3200). What changed around your junior year to allow for that jump in performance?

 

I felt like my biggest jump during my high school career happened my sophomore year. I hit a growth spurt and my body matured a bit during that year. I was able to lead my team during most of the races that year. I didn’t break into the top 20 or get on the podium in track, but it was the first time that I felt like I could actually be successful at the sport of running. That gave me the confidence going into my junior year to break into the top 10 and get onto podium in track. Leading up to my junior year of cross country I put in a few more summer miles, but nothing too major. The biggest change was just the way I approached each day of practice. I went in with a clear goal in mind.

 

5.)    What was your favorite place to race in high school?

My favorite place to race in cross country during high school would probably be Mandan’s course. The race was ran on a well-maintained golf course. The meet included a lot of Class A teams as well as Class B teams so there was always good competition. It was a very flat course, so times were usually fast.

For track I always thought that The Bowl in Bismarck was the best spot to run. It seemed like PR’s came every time you raced there and the environment during the state meet was unbeatable.

College:

6.)    After high school you continued to NDSU. Why run at NDSU?

My senior year I looked at a few different D2 schools for running, and my mom convinced me to submit my information to the coaches at NDSU. They brought me in for an unofficial visit and told me that they could guarantee me a spot on the cross country team, but that a spot on the track team was not guaranteed. They told me that I could come in as a preferred walk-on. That was all I needed to hear. I grew up a fan of the Bison and dreamed of wearing the Bison uniform. It was an easy decision.

 

7.)    Your distance coach at NDSU has been Andrew Carlson, one of the fastest North Dakotans ever, sporting a sub-14 5k, sub-29 10k, and 2:11 marathon. What is it like to train under a coach who has such incredible personal accomplishments? What kind of training do you do?

 

Andrew’s experience as a runner is something that is invaluable. Throughout Andrew’s career he has experienced most things that we would experience throughout the course of our college career. Andrew centers his life around running and he is very knowledgeable of the sport. He isn’t afraid to give us advice based off his experiences. As for training it depends on what season we are in, but a typical week will have 2 workouts, 1 long run, and mileage the rest of the days. I keep my mileage for cross season around 80-85 miles a week and drop down to around 75 during track season. We do a lot of longer workouts during cross season. Indoor season is a lot of treadmill runs so we tend to do a cutdown run most weeks and finish with fast reps on the track. Outdoor workouts tend to be similar to indoor, I just throw hurdles in on certain reps to get the feel for the steeplechase.

 

8.)     Freshman year you competed in a lot of races ‘unattached’, which for our readers is what athletes commonly do while redshirting- you can run at a race without representing your team. What was your freshman year like?

I knew from the beginning that I would be redshirting all three seasons my freshman year unless something drastic changed. I came into college as someone whose body wasn’t fully developed yet; I was young, and low mileage in high school. Redshirting my freshman year allowed me to focus on building up my mileage slowly and getting accustomed to the college running scene. The only reason I run is for the chance to compete, so I made sure that I drove myself to every race the team went to that was within a reasonable distance. This still allowed me to compete while letting my body develop another year.

 

9.)    Throughout your college career, you’ve had a steady improvement in races, cutting your 1500 meter time to 3:51, your mile time to 4:07 (5^th fastest in NDSU history), and your 3000 meter time to 8:15 (3^rd fastest in NDSU history). What has been your recipe for continued improvement in college?

 

I would credit a lot of my success to the training that Andrew has drawn up for me. He has written training that allows me to continue to improve while staying healthy. Throughout my career I have trusted the training that he has written, and it has paid off. I have had teammates along with me the entire way that have helped push me in workouts and in races. When it comes to race day, I can step to the line with confidence knowing that I am in a position to run fast times.

 

10.)  After many close attempts, in February of this year, you finally broke through and won an individual title at the Summit League Conference Meet, running 8:20 to win the indoor 3k. What was that moment like for you?

 

It was definitely a great feeling crossing the finish line of that race. Going into the Conference meet I knew that I had an opportunity to win a title, whether it be in the 3k or the mile. It was a relief to accomplish that goal on Day 1 of the meet. As a college distance runner, you train year-round to be put in positions where you can win races and the conference races are the ones that matter the most. Once the indoor meet was over, I got a couple of days to soak it in and realize that all the hard work I had put in was worth it.

 

11.) What’s your favorite part of the NDSU program?

 

I enjoy being a part of the strong tradition that NDSU has developed. Throughout our entire athletics program, the culture is one that sets expectations of winning conference titles and even National Championships. The athletes that are brought in are focused and determined to continue the tradition. Our track program is no different. We have found a lot of success competing in the Summit League and bringing home conference titles. Our coaches guide and support us along the way and the teammates know what their expectations are. When it comes time for a conference meet, everyone has one goal in mind and that is to compete for their teammates. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity that I have been given to be a part of the tradition of NDSU athletics.

 

Pandemic:

12.) As you started getting some of your best personal times, COVID hit. Talk a little about how cancellations and closures have affected your training.

Andrew has tried to keep our training as normal as possible throughout all the cancellations. When outdoor got cancelled in March, we continued training like we were in an outdoor season for the most part. Our summer training was normal because we were fully planning on having a cross season. We tried to simulate a few races by creating events within the team where we race on the road individually and submit our times. That helped break up the training and gave me something to look forward to in training. The biggest difference in training was doing it all alone starting in March. I was lucky enough to be able to come back to Fargo for the summer and train with some teammates for that stretch.

 

13.) What have you had to do with your mindset to stay positive during this time?

 

My mindset throughout this entire pandemic as it related to racing is that I’m not going to waste my time worrying about something that I can’t change. We have now had two seasons cancelled, but I did not want to sit around and mope about it. I have been able to look towards the future and continue training hard with the hope that when the pandemic hits a point where we can compete, I will be ready to continue improving my times.

 

 

14.) What are your goals for this season? This is your last year at NDSU, right?

I am a 5^th year at NDSU right now, but with the COVID cancellations I currently have an opportunity to come back for a 6^th year in both cross and outdoor track. I have not made a decision on whether I will use that extra eligibility or not, but it is an option. My goals for the season is to add a few more conference titles. The hope is to be able to push everyone around me so that we can celebrate winning more team conference titles as well. I have my eyes set on making a Regional meet outdoors. As for times, I would like to get as close to the 4:00 barrier in the mile and 8:00 in the 3k. Since the last outdoor season got cancelled, by the time outdoor rolls around again it will have been 2 years since the last outdoor race. I would like to shave time off both my 1500 and steeplechase and be around 3:45 and 9:00 in those.

 

Personal:

 15.)  Growing up, did you have any North Dakota runners or athletes that you looked up to or drew inspiration from?

As a junior high and young high school runner, the teammate at Bowman County that I looked up to the most was Michael Palczewski. Mike was an all-around good athlete who I was teammates with in cross country, basketball, and track. I had the opportunity to watch him win a state title in the 400m dash my 8^th grade year.

The North Dakota runner who I looked up to the most was Jake Leingang. Jake was someone who was doing things as a high school runner that I thought were crazy coming from someone from North Dakota. When Jake announced he was transferring back home to NDSU, I was excited for the chance to be a teammate with him. (editor's note: Leingang was competing at the University of Oregon before transferring to NDSU)

16.)  How about pro runners? Do you have a favorite?

I have never followed professional running much, but since I’ve came to Fargo, I have heard a lot of conversations about different professional runners. During the COVID outbreak we had a chance to have a Zoom meeting with Craig Engels. From listening to Craig talk it was apparent that he enjoys what he does and always has a fun time with it. Coming from someone who runs at that level, it was cool to hear his perspective on running.  

 

17.)  What’s your favorite place to run in North Dakota?

My favorite place to run in North Dakota is the gravel road by my house, especially after I have been away for a while. There are no spots that really stand out when I think about places I’ve ran in North Dakota. We do some basic routes in Fargo, but I haven’t been very adventurous when it comes to finding cool places to run.

18.)  If you could give one piece of advice to younger runners out there, what would you tell them?

Stay patient with training. Fitness is something that can take a long time to soak in. There will be times where you don’t see much progress, and there will be times where you see very small progress, but if you stay on it every day, you will be rewarded.

19.)  Last question- what’s something on your running bucket list?

 

I’m not sure that I plan on consistently running too much longer after I finish my college career, but one thing that would be on my bucket list is to run a marathon. Depending on how everything plays out with that, I think it would be cool to run the Boston Marathon too before I call it good.  

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A special thanks to Alex Bartholomay for giving us a look at a college distance runner's mindset and share some of the things he's experienced! Good luck this season!