On October 21st and 22nd, 2021, the North Dakota State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND. The Class B races were held on Friday, and the Class A races were held on Saturday.
In the Class B races, held in nice conditions of a light breeze and temperatures in the 40s, the Bowman County men prevailed for the second year in a row, while Ian Busche of Beulah-Hazen took the individual title. On the girl's side of things, Rugby won their third consecutive team title as 8th grader Brynn Hanson of Des-Lacs/Burlington took first place.
The next day, in similar conditions for the Class A races, Williston showed team greatness by winning both the boy's and girl's team titles. They also won the individual title in the girl's race, with Eleni Lovgren winning by 17 seconds, while Aiden Johnson of West Fargo Sheyenne ran away with the boy's race.
The following is part of a series where I do a Q&A interview and each of the individual state champions. Last year's interviews, along with many other interviews and North Dakota running research can be found here.
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| Photo Credit: Tom Mix / NDHSAA Media Specialist |
After last year's incredible and senior-heavy state track meet, the question was- who would rise up to fill the gap? All season, that answer revolved around the same three names- Aiden Johnson (WF Sheyenne), Ivan Askim (Williston), and Hunter McHenry (GFRR). Unsurprisingly, those names ended up being the top three at state, and in that exact order. Sophomore Aiden Johnson proved to be the class of the field, running away from his competitors in the final mile to win by ten seconds in a very good time of 15:34.
Aiden has been in the running scene for awhile, and I can recall seeing his name in local road races years ago, when he was quite young, running times that seemed absurd for people of that age. This victory was the culmination of a slow build through the state ranks- he was 16th at state cross country last year as a freshman and 38th as a 7th grader. He also came within ten seconds of the state 3200 record last year as a freshman, running a ridiculous 9:13 and somehow only placing 5th overall. He is a high-level talent with two more years to go.
Below are Aiden's answers to my questions. It's always fun to get to know these great athletes a little better. Thank you Aiden!
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1.) Congrats on your victory! Now that you’ve had some time to decompress and take a step away from state cross country, how do you feel? This was your first state title, right?
This is my first state title. I feel mostly relieved because this was my main goal for the past few years, but I also feel excited to see what I can add to this.
2) At some point, whether it was last year, this summer, or this fall, you probably realized that winning state cross country was something you had the ability to do. When was that point? How did it affect your outlook on this season?
After placing very high at state track in the two mile, I knew if I put in a great summer of training and then performed in the fall, I could accomplish my goal of winning a state title.
3) Take us through your title-winning race. What was your strategy going in? Did you follow it? Any surprises?
My initial strategy was to stay with the lead pack through halfway and throw in a surge. I followed through with this, but I was surprised to see that Ivan was still there. I then shifted my focus on the big hill. I surged down it, and created separation. I kept the pace going and the gap only grew.
4) Throughout the season, you were winning all of your races against in-state competition, but then at the EDC Region Meet, you took second to Hunter McHenry. How did that change your mindset going into state? Do you two have a good rivalry?
It was definitely a surprise to lose the region meet, especially after my success in the regular season. After the loss, I made sure not to lose confidence, so I stayed focused and worked hard. I still knew I could win at state. We do have a slight rivalry, but nothing too major because this was only my first year I was good enough to even get close to him.
5) Over the last few years, the level of Class A running on the boy’s side has elevated quite a bit. What does it feel like to be a part of the crazy fast times people have been throwing down?
It feels great that I can continue the success in class A. The crazy fast times being run only adds to the competition so I’m all for it.
6) Going into this season, did you feel pressure to win? Did you feel like you had a target on your back?
Going into the season I definitely knew I had a good chance to win, but I never felt like I had a target on my back. I always try to run my own race and not pay too much attention to the competition.
7) What is your background in sports? Did you start running at a young age, or is it relatively new?
I started playing hockey at the age of 6 and played it all the way through the age of 14. I started running track meets at the age of 9 and noticed I was actually really good at it.
8) Talk a little bit about your training. What’s your favorite kinds of workouts? What do your easy/ mileage days normally consist of?
My favorite workouts consist of varying speeds. For example, maybe running some 1200’s and finishing off with some fast 200/400s. My easy days consist of a 6-9 mile run around 7 min. pace. My long runs consist of 11-14 miles and I usually throw something fast in the middle.
9) Any plans to race at a regional meet in cross country, or is your season over?
My plans are to race both the Nike regions and the Eastbay regions. I plan on traveling to Alabama at the start of December to run in the Running Lane championships with some of the best runners from all over the country.
[editor's note: there are two major national meets for high school cross country: Nike (NXN) in Oregon, and Eastbay (formerly Footlocker, and before that Kinney) in California. Both meets need to be qualified for at a regional meet. The Eastbay Midwest Region is in Wisconsin, and the Nike Heartland Region is in Sioux Falls.]
10) Any plans for a winter sport, or is it time to focus on track?
I’ll probably take 1-2 weeks off and start training and lifting for track.
11) Speaking of track, any early thoughts about what you might want to accomplish during track this year?
I want to hopefully win the mile and two mile at state. I also want to drop my 4:21 mile to a 4:10 and my 9:13 two mile to somewhere around 8:55.
12) What is running to you? Why do you do it?
Running to me is my getaway. If I don’t have a great day, I can go for a run and relax and get my mind off things. I run to see how much I can push myself to get better. That feeling after a great race is indescribable.
13) What’s your favorite place (so far) to run in North Dakota?
My favorite place to run in North Dakota is my lake, which is somewhere around Mayville, ND. I like running the long, hilly, country roads.
14) Have you experienced adversity with running? If so, how did you overcome it?
I have had troubles with nutrition (iron) and growth plate issues in my foot (and covid of course). I overcame it by making sure I do the small things such as eating and sleeping. For my foot, I just had to wait it out. During covid, I made it my mission to get in as best shape as I could, but this was hard to do all alone.
15) Do you have any North Dakota runners that you look up to? What about college or professional athletes?
I looked up to my previous teammate, Jacob, because he is very smart and educated about running. Seeing his work ethic allowed me to understand how hard it was to be an elite runner. He always pushed me when workouts were getting hard and always helped me stay motivated. The professional runner I look up to is Mo Farah because no matter how much the odds were against him, he always seemed to be able to pull out a win.
16) Can you offer up any advice you’ve learned along the way to people who might be interested in cross country?
Cross country is very physically and mentally demanding so always be prepared to leave your comfort zone.
So there you have it! Congrats Aiden on your state championship! Stay tuned for the interviews with the other state champions!
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