High School Outdoor Track Preview #2- Karly Ackley

With the beginning of April comes the beginning of high school outdoor track. Many of us can recall the long days of missing school to sit in the spring sun (or freeze in the spring cold) and go through multiple events on the track. You bond with your teammates and do something you love- great! Here I want to showcase each of the state cross country champions from the fall and how they are getting ready for this track season.
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Our second visit is to one of the fastest high school female distance runners in state history (and this fall's Class A State Girls XC Champion), Karly Ackley of Grand Forks Central.

Leading the 1600 at State Track last year
Photo Courtesy: Grand Forks Herald

Karly first popped up on the state-wide scene in 2012, when she placed 6th at state cross country, and followed it up with a 6th place finish in the 3200 at state track that spring, all as only an eighth-grader. She followed it up her first year of high school with a 5th place finish at state cross country, and 3rd and 2nd place finishes in the 1600 (5:10) and 3200 (11:07), respectively.

Her sophomore year in 2014 she exploded out of the gates with a state championship in cross country, finishing the 4k course in a super-fast 13:57, and followed that up with an 18:22 5k time at Nike Cross Regionals (NXR) for 24th place. At state track that year she placed second in both the 1600 (4:58.26) and 3200 (10:50.61). Not many high schoolers are able to go sub-5 in the 1600 or sub-11 in the 3200; she did on back-to-back days!

2015, her junior year, brought a 2nd place finish at state cross country, running 14:05 for 4k (still quite fast). In the spring she did great at state track, finishing first in the 1600, first in the 3200, second as a member of a 4x8 relay, and 7th in the 800.

Her time of 10:32.86 in the 3200 stands as the current fastest 3200 time ever by a North Dakota female prep, and her 4:53.76 in the 1600 stands as the second-fastest time ever, trailing only Becki Wells, who ran an incredible 4:42 in high school!

Not to be outdone, this past cross country season, when girls moved up to 5k for the first time, she won State XC again with a time of 17:13. She then continued to Nike Cross Regionals, finishing 4th (17:13) and qualifying for Nike Nationals, where she placed 84th. I'm sure we can expect great things from Karly this coming outdoor season! Here is my interview with her:
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ND Runner: First off, congrats on your state cross country championship in the fall! What was that race like?

Karly Ackley: Thank you! The race went perfectly for me. I remember being at the line and all I could think about was how this was my last ever state cross country meet and how I wanted to go out on a high note. As soon as the gun went off I went to work, and I came home with first place. It was probably one of my favorite races I’ve ran, since it was my last one, a PR, and a state title.

NDR: How did it play out for you?

KA: It played out the best it could. My race plan went perfectly, taking the lead early and pushing the entire way. It couldn’t have gone any better.

NDR: You qualified for Nike Cross Nationals this fall and competed. What was it like to qualify for a
national race? What did you take away from that experience?

KA: I’ve been dreaming about qualifying for the national competition since I was in middle school. Actually doing it was a dream come true. I’m pretty sure I didn’t stop smiling for the next week afterwards. However, Nike Heartland, the qualifying race, was actually one of the hardest races of my life. I had had state the weekend before and with training I was at a point where I had already peaked a little bit. I started the race in about 8th (top 5 qualify). By about midway through the race I was in 6th and the chances of moving into 5th didn’t look too good. I stayed calm though and just kept racing and was able to move up into 4th in the last few hundred meters. The biggest thing I took away from that experience was to keep racing no matter what could happen because you never know.
From the national race itself I learned so much. Being around so many people all at such a high level was definitely intimidating, but also very exciting. I had the chance to talk with several Olympians that were there with us and hearing them talk about how they themselves have been where I was was very inspiring. It was also a bit of a wake up call to realize that no matter how good you are or fast you get, there’s always someone, or in my case 80 someones, who are faster and better. It gave me a new drive to want to keep improving and get to the next level.

NDR: Are there any runners or other athletes that you look up to or draw inspiration from?

KA: I really like to watch the pros run the really long distances, like Galen Rupp and Shalane Flanagan in the marathon. Just watching people go so fast for so long is so amazing to me and they’re inspiring to me. After college I would really like to become a marathoner, so I really like to watch those races.

NDR: Out of all the different high school sports out there, why run cross country in the fall and track in the spring?

KA: I’ve played other sports in my life, but none of them I was very good at. I am a very uncoordinated person, so anything involving a ball doesn’t mix with me. When my older brother started running and then told me I should too, I just went with it and fell in love with the sport. Being good at it is definitely a bonus, but doing a sport that’s so individualized and not requiring any type of coordination works for me. 

NDR: What are some of your goals moving ahead into this outdoor track season?

KA: I would really like to defend my mile and two mile titles at the state meet in May. My coach and I have been talking about time goals, but we’re not really sure what to expect at this point. I’m hoping to PR of course. We know that the state record in the mile is 4:44 and I for sure have that in the back of my mind, but we’ll see what happens. Any type of PR would really make me happy.
I’m also planning on going down to North Carolina this summer to compete at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet and see how I can do against the nation's best girls on the track.

NDR: Where is your favorite place to run?

KA: Pretty much just anywhere around Grand Forks. We run everywhere and having a bunch of different routes is nice.

NDR: What does the Grand Forks Central team mean to you? How have they helped to develop you as a runner and athlete?

KA: My Central team is my family. I for sure wouldn’t be where I am without them. Our girls team has gotten really strong in the past few years and it’s really fun to have a bunch of girls with all the same mindset and drive to be successful. My coach has been amazing in giving me lots of opportunities to race outside of just north dakota and that has helped me to reach the point I am at.

NDR: What has been your biggest challenge in running so far?

KA: Not getting frustrated and giving up when things don’t go the way I want them to. After my state cross country title my sophomore year, I had a few losses that were hard for me at first. I eventually accepted it though and refocused myself to improve, realizing that it’s not always about winning but about doing the best you can.

NDR: My understanding is that you plan on running for Iowa State. What led you to decide to be a
Cyclone? What are you most excited about?

KA: I went on four college visits and everywhere I went was awesome. Iowa State however just stuck out to me. The city is a lot like Grand Forks so it felt like home and the atmosphere was great. The coach and girls just clicked with me and it felt right. The program has been really successful and going onto a team that can push me makes me really excited.

NDR: If you could give any advice to another runner, what would you say and why?

KA: What I would say is that if you love it keep doing it. It doesn’t matter if you run a ten minute mile or a five minute mile, if you enjoy it keep doing it. Running is such a magical thing since anyone who has the drive and the determination can do it and become successful. But also realizing that sometimes to reach the success you want will take a lot of mental toughness. The best advice I can give is to be mentally tough all the time. They say that running is 90% mental and I’ve always found that to be true.
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Thanks again to Karly for agreeing to do the interview! Happy belated Easter to all!

High School Outdoor Track Preview #1- Hunter Lucas

With the beginning of April comes the beginning of high school outdoor track. Many of us can recall the long days of missing school to sit in the spring sun (or freeze in the spring cold) and go through multiple events on the track. You bond with your teammates and do something you love- great! Here I want to showcase each of the state cross country champions from the fall and how they are getting ready for this track season.
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Winning the 1600 at State Track last year
Courtesy: inforum.com

First up is the Class A Boys State Champ from Fargo Davies High School- Hunter Lucas.

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 1^st 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 7^th 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 7^th 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!

ND Runner Interview #3- Alexis Zeis

Freshly minted with a second individual national championship, our third interview is with a former Bismarck High School standout who is now winning titles locally for the University of Mary, Alexis Zeis.

Official team photo
Courtesy: University of Mary Athletics

Zeis started out at Bismarck High in Bismarck, North Dakota. Running for a program with an almost uncountable number of national titles in cross country and track and field, she started out her freshman year by finishing 12th at state cross country and 4th in the 3200 at the state track meet that spring. Next year as a sophomore, she finished 9th at the state cross country meet (a lonely place to be- one place away from 1st team all-state), while placing 6th in the 1600, 4th in the 3200, and 2nd as a member of a 4x800 relay team at the state track meet.

Her junior year she moved up the chain, starting off with a second place finish at state cross country, finishing the 4k in 14:52, only five seconds behind her teammate, Brittany Brownotter. At state track she finished 4th in the 1600 and 5th in the 3200, while being a part of the state champion 4x800 relay team that broke the Bismarck Community Bowl (now the MDU-Resources Community Bowl #sponsored) record by running 9:33.

Her senior year she finished 4th at state cross country, running 14:28 for 4000 meters. At state track she again placed 4th in the 1600 and 7th in the 3200, while being a part of a 4x800 relay team that again broke the Community Bowl record by running 9:29.88, which still stands as the fourth-fastest time in state history. And thus the elusive individual state title was never realized.

But it gets better.

In college she went/is still going to the University of Mary, a Division II college in Bismarck that has received some very talented women's runners in the last 5 years. Her freshman year started out well, running for a 4th place finish at the region cross country meet and 21st at the National Championships, securing an All-American status in the process. She ran 21:49 for 6000 meters.

During the indoor season her freshman year, she never finished worse than 8th place in any race. She swept the 3k and 5k at the indoor conference meet, and went on to finish 8th in the 3k at the national meet and 5th as a part of a DMR (Distance Medley Relay- 1200/400/800/1600) team, securing two more All-American honors. She finished off the year by placing 3rd and 5th in the 1500 and 5000, respectively, at the conference meet.

Her sophomore year of college is where things really start rolling. She literally won EVERY race of her cross country season, including the Maroon Division at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational in the Twin Cities. The topping on the cake was a victory at the 2015 NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country National Championship, where she finished the 6000 meter course in 20:03, beating second-place by 0.3 seconds. This, of course, secured another All-American honor. Indoor and Outdoor track didn't see the same amount of success; she placed 9th in the 3k at indoor nationals (9:35) and 15th in the 5k at outdoor nationals 17:02). It was the 5th time she had run between 17:00 and 17:30 in the 5k on the track; a breakthrough was soon to come.

Crossing the finish line 1st at Nationals XC
Photo Courtesy: NCAA.org

Her junior year (2016-2017, this year), brought more success. She placed second at the conference cross country meet, and then first at the regional meet (she and a runner from Minnesota-Duluth swapped places at those two races). She then placed second at nationals, finishing behind the girl that she narrowly beat the year before. This was another All-American honor.

This indoor season she finally broke through the 17:00 5k barrier, running a blazing-fast 16:20 school record on the big track at SDSU, which followed an equally-fast 9:22 school record in the 3k the week before on the small track at NDSU. She again swept the 3k and 5k at indoor conference, winning by margins of 26 (!!!) and 40 (!!!) seconds, respectively. She completed another stellar indoor season by winning the 5k at indoor nationals just two weeks ago, in a time of 16:23, the third time she's ran in the 16:20s in the last month and a half. She also placed 7th in the 3k with a time of 9:31, giving her two more All-American honors.

So in conclusion, halfway through her junior year she has two national titles and 7 All-American honors.

Here is my interview with Alexis Zeis:
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ND Runner: First off, congrats on your national championship! Second place was within a second of your finishing time; what were the last few laps like? How did the race play out?

Alexis Zeis: Thank you very much! The last five laps are what really broke everyone apart. I saw Coach Newell (editor's note: Dennis Newell, the Head Coach for XC and Assistant Track Coach at Mary) hold up two fingers, saying he wanted to hard laps which was the 20^th and 21^st lap. The last three laps Kendra Foley (editor's note: Foley runs for Grand Valley State in Michigan) was right on my heals like the whole time during the race and then the last lap I was able to break away. It was Foley and I the last 23 laps of the race and Coach and I knew that it would probably come down to her and I again. Out there I was just racing how I have been racing all season. All my qualifying races I ran by myself, except for one, so I knew during the race I could do this because I have been doing it all season.

NDR: This wasn’t your first national championship, because you won NCAA DII Women’s XC Nationals in 2015 in what was also an incredibly close race. How were these two races similar? How were they different?

Zeis: The race was very similar because it came down to Foley and I, the only thing that was different was that it was on a track and it was a 5k instead of a 6k race. When I won XC Nationals, I didn’t take the lead until there was 1k to go, then Foley and I kept going back and forth. For this race, I took the lead after the first two laps and never looked back.

NDR: Going back, did you have any athletes locally or nationally that you looked up to or drew inspiration from?

Zeis: I really am a big fan of Emma Coburn, Galen Rupp and Molly Huddle*. Two very good distance runners. Even though Emma Coburn is a steeplechaser, her worth ethic is so incredible. I watch a lot of flo track videos and when it comes to those three, I get huge inspiration from how well they do. Watching some of their workout videos also helps me too.

NDR: In high school you ran for Bismarck High. What was the program like from your perspective? What was it like to be surrounded by the massive amount of success that the Demon XC and Track and Field programs have achieved in the last 15 years?

Zeis: I really liked running for Bismarck High, we had such a rich tradition of excellence. With some really awesome coaches. When I came into the program I knew the Demons were good, and I felt like I had to help keep the tradition alive. So, knowing I’m running on a team that has had so many state champs and people that have gone on to do some incredible things, helped me with performing at my best, while representing Bismarck High.

NDR: What led to your decision to choose the University of Mary for college?

Zeis: I grew up always being told to choose the school that best fits me academically, along with athletics. After junior year of high school, I knew I wanted to run in college, but I knew I wasn’t good enough to go D1. Growing up I always heard about how Mary has always had a rich tradition of good athletes, also they had a very good Athletic Training program, which I am going in to. I knew I wanted to be close to home also because I am a pretty big home body, so it was nice that I could go to a school that has a good running program and AT program.

NDR: What is the most difficult part about being a student-athlete, in your mind?

Zeis: One of the most difficult things about being a student-athlete is keeping up with your grades and sleep, but also knowing what needs to be done to have a good workout every day also. I struggled a little bit coming in as a freshman, but I really started to prioritize myself at the end of my sophomore year.

NDR: One thing that people from all over the United States can’t fathom is how people can train in the winter in North Dakota. How do you do it? How do you stay motivated?

Zeis: Mental toughness is a big thing that comes to me when it’s trying to train in our weather. North Dakota has some really bipolar weather and so you should always be prepared every day for any kinds of weather that is thrown at us. I run when its snowing, raining or if its even 35 degrees outside. (as long as its not really icy) I also do a lot of treadmill runs too, which involve 12 milers. You must learn to deal with what you have dealt in front of you, because if you always complain about it, you will never get the work done.

NDR: Obviously something is working quite well for you at Mary- what do you think led to continued strong improvement in college? How much of a boost do you think can come from the new track they are building (editor's note: they built a new 200m indoor track)? 

Zeis: When I was growing up I was a full-time figure skater and part time distance runner, if you want to put it that way. I dedicated my childhood and early high school years to skating on the national synchronized skating team we have here in Bismarck and skating individually. It wasn’t until Junior year I realized I was pretty decent at running and wanted to run in college so I had to make a change. I decided to quit skating for the team that I was on for 7 years and just focus more on running. Then coming into college, I quit skating full-time and made a commitment to myself to make running my main priority. When we had the new track done this year it helped training a whole lot easier and I felt more motivated to go to practice because we weren’t running on such a tiny track and what felt like cement when running on it.

NDR: This indoor season you ran in the 16:20s for 5k three times, 9:20s in the 3k on a small track in Fargo, and won a national title. What are some goals now in your mind moving forward? 

Zeis: After this season my mind has really opened to what I know I can do. I had huge PRs this indoor season because I was able to come in and finish healthy. With outdoor season starting now, I want to run some more PRs and hopefully break some records. It’s the same as indoors also, to hopefully qualify for outdoor nationals in Bradenton, FL at the end of May.

NDR: What is the greatest struggle you’ve had to endure in regards to running?

Zeis: Collegiate running is a very long season, starts mid-June and ends in May. So really you have to make sure you don’t wear yourself out with the season. I’ve learned to take time for myself, if I need a day off, I’ll take it or I will cross train which is biking or swimming. I’ve had to learn along the way that you have to be mentally tough and it grows with you as your training grows.

NDR: If you could recommend any place in North Dakota for someone to run, where would it be?

Zeis: I really love running along the Missouri river here in Bismarck. Especially in Bismarck during the summer, when the sun is either rising or setting. Some other good places to run are in the badlands on the trails. It’s a different view than what you normally see in North Dakota.

NDR: What is one piece of advice you could give to any runner out there?

Zeis: One piece of advice I would give to any runner would to be always run for yourself. No matter if you are running for fun, for an everyday type of exercise, in middle school, high school, collegiate running and even professional running. You never want to out run your joy for running, that is one thing I live by every day. 

Thank you to Alexis Zeis for agreeing to do this interview for North Dakota Runner! I hope any of the readers can draw inspiration from any of her story. As always, keep running and have fun!

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*Editor's Note: Emma Coburn is the 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist and American Record Holder in the Women's Steeplechase. Galen Rupp is the 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist in the Men's Marathon and the American Record Holder in the 10,000 meters on the track. Molly Huddle is the American Record Holder in the 10,000 meters, as well as a dominant force on the road racing circuit.