Depth- State Track Series Part 3

This post is the third in a series looking at the numbers of the North Dakota State Track Meet. The first two posts covered the top athletes- runners that won three or more state titles in one year- and a post looking at how the winning times in the distance events have changed over time. This post attempts to provide a little more depth to the topic by looking at the next runners behind the winners. As previously, I am indebted to the incredible work of Brad Leingang, who has compiled state track meet results dating back to 1903 and made them easily and publicly available. The page can be viewed here: https://sites.google.com/bismarckschools.org/bpstrackfieldxc/home/all-time-lists. 

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A while back, I charted the winning times in the distance events at state track, and looked at how they changed over time. You can read that post here. The main conclusion in that post was that no matter what class or gender you look at, the best of the best in the state haven't really improved much over the last 20 years. Sure, certain individuals have broken state records, but there was no pattern over time. 

The most reasonable question following that was- what about the mortals? Looking through historical results, and realizing that it's hard to get times for more than the top 3, 4, or even 5 runners at an event at state track until the 80s, I decided to look at the average of the times for finishers 3-5 in the 1600 meters for each division to get a sense of depth. Here's my reasoning:

1.) Trying to average the top 8 runners means I wouldn't start getting data until the mid-1990s.

2.) Not including 1st or 2nd place almost entirely removes the possibility of outliers, because usually we won't see more than one or two freak athletes per event per year. 

3.) The 1600 meters is the distance that catches all the distance runners, including 800m and 3200m runners. 

4.) The 1600 meters was competed earlier than the 3200 meters. 

As a result, the following graphs provide a look at if it has become more or less difficult over time to score points in the 1600 meters at the state meet. By removing the outliers of places 1 and 2, these charts should give us a little more insight into whether the state has gotten "stronger" at the top over the decades. Sure, participation numbers are going up (ESPECIALLY in Class B), but does more mean faster? Let's take a look. 

First Look: 

This chart will be broken down into its four different parts below. However, here we can get a glimpse of what the data will tell us. The horizontal axis provides the years beginning with 1972, and finishing with 2019 (the most recent state meet). The vertical axis provides the time that represents the average of places 3-5 in the given 1600 meter race. Each of the following graphs will use the same format. 

From the graphs, here's what immediately jumps out: 

1.) For the women, both classes showed improvement in times until the 1990s, which is reasonable because track had only recently been introduced as a sport for women. Times stagnated after that. 

2.) For the men, there has been no discernable difference in time since the early 1970s, which is fairly similar to what the charts for only the first-place runners showed as well. 

3.) On the men's side, there have been a couple of years where Class B averaged better than Class A, but it seems clear that those years were slow years for Class A- not necessarily fast years for Class B. 

4.) On the women's side, there have also been a couple of years where Class B averaged better than Class A, and it appears to have been a combination of fast Class B years, and slow Class A years. 

5.) 2006 and 2007 appear to be slow years for everyone, and I'll address that point later in this post. 

Let's look at each class individually: 

Class B Girls: 

As mentioned above, there is a steep drop off early on, but that can be mostly attributed to the newness of women's track. By the mid 1990s, times leveled off, and started a variable swinging pattern that hasn't stopped. 

The fastest year for the 3-5 athletes so far has been 2016. In that year, 8th place was 5:18, which you'll note on this chart is faster than the 3-5 average most of the years so far (and would have won state in some years). Here are the top 5 from that year: 

1- Peyton Frolek (Milnor/Wyndmere/Lidgerwood) - 4:59.05
2- Kate Fox (Southern Mclean) - 5:02.73
3- Ashley Perez (Oak Grove) - 5:06.92
4- Asha Smith (Watford City) - 5:07.56
5- Kayla Ogle (Watford City) - 5:08.02

Note that when Krista and Lindsay Anderson, two of the all-time fastest Class B distance runners, were racing (2000-2008), some of those years don't correspond with the fastest times for the 3-5 runners, and some do. This is because they were outliers, won everything, and therefore don't get included in this data. Just because the top 2 are crazy fast, doesn't necessarily mean everyone else is, too. 

Class A Girls: 

Notice how for the Class A Girls, the graph looks almost exactly the same as the one above, especially with the peaking around 2007. This leads me to wonder if the weather was brutal for those state meets, and I'll be looking for that in the next two charts. Similar to the Class B girls, the times fall quickly until the mid 1990s, and then bounce until present-day. Because of recent fast years, the trendline for this graph would be generally downward throughout the whole set of data. We need a few more years after 2019 to really get a good idea if there is still a downward trend or not. 

The fastest year for Class A was also 2016, when 8th place was 5:07.49, which would be faster than the 3-5 average most of these years, and win state other years. That year Karly Ackley and Mattie Shirley-Fairbairn dueled in the 3200 and both ran 10:32; It was a pretty stacked year. Here are the top 5 in the 1600: 

1- Karly Ackley (Grand Forks Central) - 4:53.76
2- Mattie Shirley-Fairbairn (Bismarck High) - 4:58.70
3- Kelby Anderson (Bismarck Century) - 5:01.03
4- Alexis Roehl (Grand Forks Central) - 5:02.82
5- Jennifer Dufner (West Fargo) - 5:03.69

At least four of these girls ran or are currently running division 1. 

Note also that the state record by Becki Wells from the early 1990s does not affect the data here, even though her time would be well off this chart. 

Class B Boys: 

Due to men's sports being around longer than women's, the men's race were already established by the 1970s. As a result, the steep drop off we saw with the women isn't here. In fact, there is no downward trend here at all. Furthermore, we can actually see a fairly pronounced UPWARD pattern here from 1988 to 2008, a period of 20 years. 

The downward trend most recently on the graph (2012-2017) can be partially attributed to New Town's dominance and depth, but now that they have lost most of their best runners, it'll be interesting to see where the data heads in the next few years. 

The fastest year on the books is, incredibly, 1981. Here's the top 5 from that year: 

1- Rick Dressler (Flasher) 4:23.2
2- Glenn Mastel (Ellendale) 4:23.46
3- Paul Gordon (New England) 4:26.87
4- Tim Myron (Thompson) 4:26.87
5- Jeff Manley (Carrington) 4:27.36

Also with this chart, the slow times around 2006-2007 continue, and I'm really starting to wonder what the weather was like that year. Let's see if the Class A Boys have the same trend. 

Class A Boys: 

Another mirror image. Similar to the Class B Boy's chart, the Class A has no downward trend in times, and also has an upward trend through the early 2000s, culminating in another set of slow times in 2006-2007. Additionally, there is a slow year in 1992, which every other class shared as well. Must have been another bad weather year. 

The fastest year for Class A was also from the 1980s, this time 1980 itself. This was another example of all athletes in the top 6 running fast enough to win state some years. Here are the top 5 from that year: 

1- Greg Rohde (Bismarck Century) - 4:12.85
2- Jim Herberg (Grand Forks Central) - 4:15.2
3- Tom Dabill (Jamestown) - 4:18
4- John Alin (West Fargo) - 4:18.3
5- Tom Kringstad (Bismarck Century) - 4:21.17

As for the slow times in the early 2000s and 1992, I reached out to the National Weather Services in Bismarck and Grand Forks and asked about the weather for the days of state track in 1992 (Grand Forks), and 2006 and 2007 (Bismarck). Here's what they had to say: 

1992- "On the 22nd it was cloudy all day with a high of 47 with morning rain showers and north to northwest winds 15 to 20mph. On the 23rd it was 51 for a high with due north winds 10-15mph". 

That second day was when Corey Ihmels ran the 9:03 3200m state record!

2006 and 2007- "For May 26th and 27th 2006, it was warm with the high both days 92. Both days were windy with southeast wind gusts to near 40 mph. We had 0.06 inches of [precipitation] on the 26th, and 0.49 on the 27th (thunderstorms). In 2007, the high was 56 on the 25th (with 0.75 inches of precip) and 58 on the 26th (0.25 inches of precip). Both of those days were also windy, with an east or northeast wind gusting again to around 40 mph."

So there you have it- the weather was not great for the slowest years, especially 2006 and 2007. However, even if those years were 'normal' for times, we still wouldn't have a general downward trend in times. 

It's hard to draw too many conclusions from the given data, but I think the one clear fact is this: the times needed to score points in the 1600m at the state track meet has not generally changed in quite a while. 

The following times are good goals for high school athletes to shoot for, as evidenced by the data. In general, hitting these times would, in most years, accomplish the desired goal for the athlete. In some years, the goal time would place them higher, and in some years lower, but in general the goals are still good:

B Girls: Top 8: under 5:25. 

Top 5: under 5:20

Top 1-2: under 5:05

A Girls: Top 8: under 5:20

Top 5: under 5:10-5:15

Top 1-2: under 5:00

B Boys: Top 8: under 4:35

Top 5: under 4:30

Top 1-2: under 4:25

A Boys: Top 8: 4:30-4:35

Top 5: under 4:25

Top 1-2: under 4:20

Morning Run- A Memory

 The grass beneath my feet was cool and damp. A soft orange glow hovered in the sky, accentuated by rays of light from the still-hidden sun. After a full night of breathing a sigh of relief, the dense air sat calmly, preparing to be attacked by sunlight once again. Nearby, birds welcomed the coming of the day with chirps that filled the silent countryside. I was in a sleepy fog, having recently rose from my slumber after another exhausting day of student teaching. My mileage was high, my sleep was low, but nevertheless I needed to continue. Wearing only a shirt, a wedding ring, and a pair of running shorts, I endured the creaks and cracks of tired legs and started putting one foot in front of the other. 

The first few steps of a tired morning run are miserable. You're cold, you're still waking up, your legs don't work, and you're already thinking about the day ahead. My bare feet, still wishing for the tenderness of the bed, became acutely aware of the hard ground, and gravel road I had to cross soon after starting. The pace is slow, and breathing is more difficult than it should be. But then you remember that you love it, and you forced yourself out of bed for a reason. You remember what your goals are, and you know that doing this is how you accomplish your goals. 

I ran through dew, with damp grass hugging my bare feet, as I continued past the evergreen row, attracting the attention of two deer. They paused their dinner to stare at me, and I slowly bounced past them on the other side of the road. I again crossed the gravel road and climbed up a short hill towards the woods. I looked behind me at the hilly upper Missouri countryside- Lake Sakakawea sitting still, a shimmer of steam silently rising up; a small herd of cattle on the hills, munching up the cool prairie grass; the glowing horizon, announcing the coming of the morn. I again faced forward and ran onto the cut prairie trail in between the woods. 

As I run barefoot through grass on a calm morning in rural North Dakota, I hear nothing but the air flowing past my head. I hold my breathing, and I cannot hear my feet hitting the ground. There are no cars, planes, trains, boats, or people. It is at this point that I choose to do my favorite thing on a run in North Dakota: I stop. There is nothing. The English word 'tinnitus' is used to describe a ringing that people will hear in their ears, possibly during times of silence. This scientific-sounding word doesn't even begin to appropriately communicate this noise that I seek. One of my favorite things about North Dakota is the silence. There are many times that I have stopped a run because I can no longer ignore the heavy silence around me, and I love it. Every place I visited was judged by its ability to produce that ringing in my ears that only appears in the absence of any noise at all. Here at Camp, that sound was my daily morning mediation before school. 

Land holds memories. As I continue running down the path, I see deer in the place where I see deer everyday. As the path branches off into the trees, I remember seeing my first porcupine. I look left and see where I had once made snow angels while searching for tinnitus on a cold winter's day. I come over the hill and see myself carrying the wooden cross while wearing the Jesus costume every Wednesday during summer camp. I come over the next hill and see myself sitting in the grass, watching thunderstorms roll across Lake Sakakawea while listening to whether or not God's plan had me staying at Camp my first summer. 

By this point of the run, my legs are waking up, and each step takes less effort than the previous one- I'm floating. My feet are relishing the dew-covered grass, and my eyes are enjoying the colors bouncing in the sky. Above me and to the west, the sky is still dark and the last starry holdouts shine weakly in the approaching light. A circle of deeper orange is standing up in the eastern horizon, and the Lake, already reflecting the numerous colors in the sky, has started rippling to the push of a gentle morning breeze. I run the loop that represents my crucifixion in the summer, bound back through the prairie trails, and turn around at the gate to do it all again. 

No matter what the day brings- teaching, planning, coaching, cooking, cleaning, talking, learning, sleeping- this is perfect. Though my watch continues to show the slow march of minutes, time stops. The beauty around me is undeniable, the silence unimaginable. There are no spectators, bosses, peers, students, campers, on-lookers, hunters, boaters, or fishermen. In this moment I have no other purpose but to keep running and feeling alive. 

 As I approach the hillside overlook on my way back to the Camp Wellness Center, I stop. Sweat beads roll down the side of my head, and I can feel my heart beating blood through my body, pulsating through my feet. I stare as the first sunlight cracks the prairie horizon. It's beautiful. For a few moments I take it all in, while my ears fill with tinnitus and the occasional moo-ing in the distance. I'm lost in it all. Eventually I'm snapped back to reality by the sound of a car traversing a gravel road miles away, and with the moment gone, I run back to the front door. As I begin the mental transition to stretching, eating, and getting ready for school, I take one last look behind me at the new morning, and I smile.

New Year's Eve Run - Then and Now

 Two years ago, on December 31st, 2018, at 11:00pm, Ingrid and I went out for a run. We were watching New Year's Eve stuff, and we decided to get out and run to ring in the new year, returning in time to see the celebration in Chicago, the largest city in our time zone (only being a 12 hour drive away). We were living in White Shield, a small blip on the radar on the Fort Berthold Reservation in northwestern North Dakota. Outside, the temperature stood at a balmy -20F with no wind and a host of starry sky. We threw on layers of pants, shirts, hats, gloves, and even a reflective vest for the brutal darkness of the prairie. We jogged down the quiet, empty streets, pausing at times to listen to the sounds of silence. After bracing the cold, we came back to the house and watched the New Year's celebration by ourselves, with a kiss, a drink, and a bedtime. 

Two years later, I find myself in a house bordering the Chesapeake Bay with Ingrid, my brother and his wife, my other brother, and my parents all tucked warmly into a rental house. As the clock ticked past 10:30pm on New Year's Eve, I told my partially-sleeping wife that I was headed out the door for a run. This time, I swapped the winter clothes for shorts and a long sleeve, with temperatures in the 40s, a breeze off the water and light drizzle in the air. As I stepped outside, the sounds of occasional traffic passing by, I started down the sidewalk that runs parallel to the beaches. As the minutes clicked by, I gave myself a chance to reflect on how radically different my life was compared to two years ago. 

When I finished college, I really only had two overarching goals- to teach in a small school, and to continue to train and race in college meets. I accomplished both. After student teaching in the small community of Garrison, ND, I got my first teaching job in the smaller community of White Shield, with its 150 students total K-12. My commute every day took me down a gravel road for five and a half miles, before turning onto a sleepy state highway for a 20 minute stroll through the prairie transition zone between the Midwest and the West. I taught Native students, met with Native educators, and learned more about reservation life and the MHA Nation than all the previous years of my life combined. I fell in love with high school sports, middle school students, and really found something worth fighting for. 

I continued to train. Every morning I'd head out and grind an hour on the gravel roads, filling my schedule with fartleks, tempos, long runs, and the occasional interval workout. When we moved into teacher housing in White Shield, my runs were done on the highway. I'd put on a headlamp and reflective gear and go off into the country. When I'd see a car 4 or 5 miles down the road, in front or behind me, I'd run to the other shoulder to make sure I'd be safe. In the rare event of a vehicle coming from each direction at the same time, I'd quick hop into the ditch. My minimalist shoes got holes in them, which caused my feet to start bleeding where bare skin met asphalt. With the closest running store more than four hours away, I had to order shoes online by myself for the first time. 

I experienced mild success. After college running, I struggled to get miles in while student teaching, but when I started training again, I surprised myself. I ran a 24:40 8k in cross country in the fall (narrowly missing my PR) at the UND home meet, and came back to finish the winter with a 15:04 indoor 5k (also a UND home meet, not close to my PR) while wearing a "Warriors" jersey from the school I was teaching at, as a way of supporting the community that was teaching me so much. I held on to dreams of being one of the fastest North Dakotans, continuing to go to college meets and impress, and keeping up with the blog. I wanted to race at UND meets and hold my status, I wanted to go to meets at the University of Mary and break stadium records, and I would go online and make sure my school records were still there. It was a continuation of college- always playing the comparison game and wanting to impress. Running was to run fast and win. 

Then, two things happened that affected a seismic shift in the way I view running. 

The first was attempting the Maah Daah Hey trail marathon on little training. I had been coaching high school track, and found myself only with enough time to squeak out a few 30 minute runs every week. I came in with unreasonable cockiness, assuming I could just sign up, run, and finish. After all, even when I wasn't in great shape I could still hop into local 5ks and 10ks and win or take second. That race defeated me and caused me to dig deep within myself in a way I didn't know existed- just to finish. I lost to first place by more than 20 minutes, and was more than a half hour off the course record, which I thought was going to be easy. My hamstring continually seized up during the last few miles, and for the next year, every time I tried to run fast or far, my hamstring would start to get sore or tight, reducing my ability to train. I tried foam rolling and massage therapy, but it took years to go away. 

Then we moved to Virginia. Moving to Virginia was something I never expected to do. In fact, my steadfast determination to never leave North Dakota and be the voice for ND Runners was partially responsible for a breakup before Ingrid and I started dating. I had built up this reputation as THE North Dakota Runner, who relished running in blizzards and dreaming away miles on drowsy gravel roads in the sweeping countryside. Virginia took all of that away- no more gravel roads, no more quiet places to run, and very few places to run safely at all. The joy of running started to fade, gently. I listened to music on my iPod to drown out the sounds of cars, I tired of running the same sidewalks in town every day, and even the local road races I went to felt hollow and unfulfilling. With nothing exciting to train for, I feel back into a pattern of just running for 30 minutes a few times per week. Injuries started to pile up, and the times I was trying to hit in workouts faded. My low point was running a turkey trot 5k in November 2019, where I ran my slowest time since my junior year of high school, and lost to a 15 year old. Something needed to change. 

I signed up for the Maah Daah Hey Trail marathon again and gave myself something to train for. I got new shoes. I increased my mileage. I started doing workouts again. I dragged my sorry butt out of bed at 5:30 am to get in a hilly 40 minute run before school each day. I ran intervals in the police parking lot. I did long trail runs at the local park and went with a friend to a couple of long runs on the Appalachian trail. My times were dropping, my fitness was coming back, and before my race I even did a couple trail runs in the mountains and on the Maah Daah Hey trail itself. This time, I was ready. 

I didn't finish. I dropped out at mile 20, defeated but not embarrassed; I physically couldn't do it. I returned back to Virginia, fired up and ready to crush more training and do it again next year. I almost immediately got injured. 

I decided to heavy cross train through the injury to not lose fitness, but that only worsened the injury. It took me almost three months to return to a place where I could run for 30 minutes pain free, and even then I needed a day off the next day. It was frustrating and humiliating. All these runners I knew were training and getting better, and everything I did made myself worse. I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to the local running club's Monday group run, and I couldn't even run with them because I felt intense pain after only 10 minutes of running. Ingrid had to talk me out of quitting running with stern, but fair, language. 

I'm running again now, and I've realized some important lessons. I'm not a college runner anymore. In fact, most of the athletes currently running track at my college don't know who I am. Many of the best runners I raced in college, who then went pro, have already retired when success didn't pay the bills. Many current athletes don't know their names. Times are just a number that we use to compare ourselves to others, and for most adults, road races are for the social aspect just as much as the race itself. 

I have come love training. I love going for a run, and I love doing different workouts. I love going to trails and running. I love waking up and running in the morning, but I've also developed a deep appreciation for late-night runs before bed. I love getting out of the house during Coronavirus times, and I love biking alongside Ingrid when she's running. Every piece I get to add to training right now- a couple more strides, 5 more minutes, a faster finish- brings me joy and memories. I don't feel pressure right now to beat anyone, or to eclipse any of my previous times. In fact, I've toyed with the idea of developing "post-college pr's", because that's when my life really started to change. 

I'm still that guy from two years ago, who loved running gravel roads and badlands trails. I'm still that guy from two years ago that loved researching about North Dakota running. I'm still that guy that laid down on the middle of a highway, in the middle of the night, and observed the Milky Way in below-zero temperatures. But on this New Year's Eve, I was also the guy that loved running along the closed public beaches of Norfolk, Virginia, reading sign posts about local history while cars zoomed past on the damp roads. For the last minute of my run, I ran hard, which I haven't been able to do in months. I finished, bent over for a moment, and looked up at the sky. It was overcast, with the heavy lights of the metro bouncing yellow and orange off the clouds. The nearby interstate gushed the sound of traffic through the air. A raw, wet breeze flowed off the Chesapeake Bay.

And yet, I smiled.  

There's A Track and Field Podcast for North Dakota!

 A couple NDSU grads and track studs have created the Prairie Track Podcast, which is trying to do EVERYTHING related to North Dakota and running. Episode 2 features your truly, but check all of the episodes out!

https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-vzq7r-f2af84

ND Runner Interview #8- Class A Boy's State XC Champion Sean Korsmo

On Saturday, October 24th, in temperatures hovering in the mid-20s with snow on the ground, the Class A State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND, and the Class B State Cross Country Meet was held further north at the Cooperstown Country Club. The Class A races stayed close to the predictions, whereas the Class B meet had some upsets. This interview is the final of four interviews with the individuals who won state titles this year.

Interview with Class A Girl's Champion Meghan Ford is here.

Interview with Class B Boy's Champion Brian Miller is here.

Interview with Class B Girl's Champion Peyton Gette is here.

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Smile, you're a state champion! Photo Credit: NDHSAA

Going into 2020, Bismarck High School had provided 10 of the last 13 individual winners of the Class A Boy's State Cross Country meet. One of those years, 2018, was Sean Korsmo. 

Korsmo has been one of the top runners in the state for a few years now. As a freshman, he placed 17th at state cross country, and doubled back by placing 5th in 1600 (4:29), 5th in the 3200 (9:46), and 4th as a member of the 4x800 (8:12) at state track. 

As a sophomore, he had a breakout year. He won state cross country with a time of 15:46, and then cleaned up at state track, winning titles in the 1600 (4:25), 3200 (9:32), and as a member of the 4x800 (8:01). 4 state titles in 10th grade isn't too shabby. 

As a junior, he placed 2nd at a FAST state cross country meet, finishing in 15:33 to fellow junior Brady Yoder's (Dickinson) 15:21. Of course, track season did not have a state meet because of COVID. 

Entering senior year, Korsmo was a favorite in cross country. In the first coaches poll, he was ranked 2nd to Yoder, but after that, he was ranked 1st for the next 6 weeks. Going into state, he won the West Region meet (defeating Yoder), and was only ranked behind Jacob Knodle (WF Sheyenne) from the East Region. At the West Region Meet, Korsmo won by almost 10 seconds in a time 15:26. The table was set. 

At this year's state meet, Sean Korsmo of Bismarck High School placed 1st with a time of 15:28, 5 seconds ahead of Jacob Knodle, with Brady Yoder in 4th at 15:38. Each of the top five runners were under 16:00. He won his 2nd state title in cross country!

Outside of that, he has been tackling some trail running as well, including racing the National High School Trail Championships in Salida, Colorado this previous summer, finishing an impressive 2nd place! Here's a description of the race, followed by an interview of him with the American Trail Running Association: 

"The 5.4-mile trail championship course started on a dirt road along the Arkansas River near downtown Salida — elevation 7,057 feet –and reached a high point of 7,558 feet. After less than a mile, the course continued on the Salida Mountain Trail System, with terrain comprised primarily of mountain-biking friendly single-track switchbacks. The race finished at Riverside Park in downtown Salida."

Interview with American Trail Running Association

Below are the questions I posed to Korsmo, and his answers. 

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1.)  First of all, congrats on the victory at state! There was a lot of talent in that race, evidenced by the top 4 runners all under 15:40. You were one of the discussed front-runners going into the race. How did you mentally prepare?

My mindset for the state meet was obviously that I wanted to win. For me, it’s as simple as that. I have the same mindset for every race I compete in, and it’s always that I want to win. It doesn’t matter who is in the race, how fast they are, or how much better they are than me. I’m not always going to win, I understand that, but I’m going to do my best to win. To mentally prepare myself for all of my races I pray a lot. I always feel at peace after, but I am ready.

 

2.)  With fresh snow on the ground and sub-freezing temperatures, did your approach for warming up or preparing for the race change?

It was pretty cold the day of the state meet. That is usually expected because we live in North Dakota, but I am comfortable running in sub-freezing temperatures. I absolutely hate running on treadmills, so during the winter I only train outside in temperatures much colder than we had at the state meet. The cold air is a little tougher to breathe in, so I did wear a facemask to try to make it a little easier to breathe. I wore the facemask through warmups and took it off at the start line.

 

3.)  Talk a little about the race. How did it play out?

I figured the race was going to be pretty fast right off the bat, so I decided to just follow the leaders. At the half mile mark, Jacob Knodle put in a pretty good surge, and I followed with a good sized pack behind me. We came through the mile just under five minutes, which wasn’t too bad for me. I had gone out harder than that at WDA, so I was feeling pretty good. I ran in the back of the front pack which put me in fifth place behind Jacob Knodle, Brady Yoder, Ben Anteau, and Mason Kindle. We ran in that same pack until just before the two mile mark. Ben put in a good surge, and I followed closely behind. I could feel both Knodel and Yoder a few meters behind me, but the pack had broken away from Kindle. We maintained our same places until the four hundred meter mark. I remember telling myself “Sean you gotta go,” and I prayed “Lord help me with this,” and I took off. I passed Ben, and took the lead for the first time in the race. I remember everything went kind of blurry as I sprinted towards the finish and eventually crossed the finish line.

 

4.)  You’ve had state titles previously in track and cross country. What makes this title different? How does it feel?

This state title was very different for a lot of reasons. It’s my senior year, my last chance to win a state title in cross country, and the fact that we didn’t know if we were going to have a season was also a huge factor. Yes, it was different, but overall, it was the same as any other season. The goal is always to win, I might not always achieve that, but it is always my goal.

 

5.)  Brady Yoder (Dickinson) was 4^th today, but he beat you to take the State XC title last year, and has taken a close second to you in many other state championship races in both track and XC. What is like to race each other? Is there any kind of rivalry or understood competition between the two of you? Do you feel like you bring out the best of each other?

I love racing Brady. We are pretty good friends. We don’t have any bad blood between us or anything. Sure, we both want to beat each other every race, but that is just our competitive nature. He is a super awesome guy, and an amazing competitor. I love racing him, I know he makes me so much better, and I hope I do the same for him. I don’t think I would be nearly as fast as I am right now without him.

 

 

6.)  Obviously this year is different. We all know that every walk of life has been changed by the pandemic. Your track season was cut in the spring, and you didn’t know how cross country would play out. How did you cope with not having track last season?

To cope with not having a track season, I ran a lot. I fell in love with running more than I ever had in my life. It’s pretty boring not having much to do, so I would go out and run a couple times a day, and I loved it. I would have rather raced, but I knew it wasn’t possible. I couldn’t control it, but I knew I needed to enjoy the time God gave me to just run.

 

 

7.)  What has it been like to train through the pandemic and keep your sights on the goals you have?

I love running, so it was never tough for me to go out and run. In the spring I knew I was training for this cross country season, and I was going to be ready for whatever race I might’ve been able to run this fall. 

 

8.)  Bismarck High has had now had 11 of the past 14 individual men’s State Class A Cross Country champions. What does it mean to you to be part of that line of success and tradition?

I think more than anything, having that many champions reflects the amazing coaches at Bismarck High. It’s really how Anderson and Zittleman have developed runners over the last 15 years. They don’t just get lucky with the best kids in the state always ending up at Bismarck High. There’s no way it’s luck. They take good runners, and they make them better. It really means a lot to me to be a part of the tradition and success at Bismarck High. It’s awesome, and like I said, it really reflects how great the coaches are at Bismarck High.

 

9.)   What does the rest of cross country season look like for you? Are there any races to go to?  How about for track- what are your goals there? 

Although Nike and Footlocker are canceled this year, there is a race in Indiana on November 15 that I competed in. I ran at a national meet with guys from 35 different states, so I knew there was going to be good competition. Even knowing how fast some of the guys could run, I still wanted to win. The conditions were not ideal with winds up to forty miles per hour. I was trailing the lead pack for the majority of the race. My goal was to run down the pack in the last mile, and pass as many guys as I could. I ended up giving the lead pack a little too big of a lead. I still ran down quite a few guys in the last mile, but it wasn’t quite where I wanted to be. I took 16th overall, and earned All American honors. I am happy with how I did, but I always want to do better. Right now, I will continue running normal mileage, but for track the goal is to be better than I currently am. I’m not a big time guy, but I’m going to try and get very fast. For me, it’s as simple as that.

 

10.) Do you have plans to run in college? Have you committed anywhere?

I plan on running in college, and I am very excited to compete at the collegiate level next year. I have talked to a few colleges, but as of right now I am not sure where I will be running.

 

11.) To what or to whom can you attribute the success that you’ve experienced?

First, all the success I’ve had has been given to me by God. I thank him everyday for all that he has blessed me with, and allowing me success in running. I couldn’t have done anything without God’s help. That’s where I credit all of my success. Obviously, Darrell Anderson has done so much for me through my five years competing for Bismarck High, and he is a huge part of who I am, and what I’ve done. He is one of the greatest coaches out there, and the runners coming out of Bismarck High are proof of that.

 

12.) What does running mean to you?

The root of running for me is using my talents to glorify God. I’ve been given a gift, and I love to use it. I couldn’t imagine my life without running, or who I would be without running. It has changed my life in so many ways, and it’s taught me so much about life. Running has been a part of who I am, and even when I can’t run anymore, what I’ve experienced will still have a huge impact on me.

 

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

My favorite place is a ten mile route that Anderson has shown me that he calls Dead Rabbit. It is in the north western part of Bismarck. It mostly consists of hilly, dirt roads that really show off the beauty of North Dakota. It almost doesn’t feel like North Dakota, it is much hillier than most people would expect from North Dakota, and doesn’t feel like just flat plains. It’s super beautiful and a super fun run.

 

14.) What adversity have you experienced with running, and what did you do to overcome it?

I had severe back problems my freshman year that prevented me from competing at WDA, and left me injured for state. I injured it a few days before WDA in the middle of the run. I couldn’t make it back to Bismarck High, so I had to walk the rest of the run which ended up being around three miles. That was super tough for me. I still wanted to race with one of my teammates, Morgan Fairbairn. We had raced all season together, and usually placed within ten seconds of each other. The week of state, I couldn't practice for the first few days of the week. I finally came back on Thursday, two days before the state meet. During the meet, I tried to run with Morgan for as long as I could, but after the first mile of pain, I started to fall back. I remember just trying to hold on as long as I could to the top twenty and found myself in twenty-first with only a few hundred meters left. I put my pain aside and ran as hard as I could. I ended up finishing seventeenth, which was super frustrating for me. I was happy that I was All State, but I had wanted to do much better. I rested, healed, and did physical therapy in the off season, and I thank the Lord for healing me. I remember praying during that time, and I mainly said, “Lord, I don’t know why this is happening, but I know it’s for the best,” and it was. I have gotten much stronger since then, and I think the experience made me better. Another huge difficulty I faced was breaking my toe sophomore year. I broke it in September, and I knew I needed to get back to running. It was tough, I had trained a lot for the season, but I never got down about breaking my toe. I remember I prayed that I could continue to run, and that this was part of some awesome plan, and then I went to work. I broke it on a Wednesday, I biked on Thursday and I tried to run on Friday. I made it two blocks. I went back to biking, and over the weekend I swam. On Monday I ran on an antigravity treadmill, and on Tuesday I was back. I went for my first real run on Tuesday, and although it hurt, I made it through. I spent the rest of the season in a boot, only taking it off when I ran. I also couldn’t get my foot into my spike, so I had to wear a racing flat with more support instead of a spike. I was determined not to let my toe slow me down, even at state. God helped me get through the season, and I ended up winning state. Other than that, I have never been ranked first going into a state meet, but that has never mattered to me. I will always try as hard as I can to win.

 

15.) What words of advice can you give to those who are interested in running?

A lot of people ask me how I enjoy running. They always say they want to get into it, but they don’t enjoy it. I can’t make people love running, but I can help people get better. I think the main key to getting better at running is consistency. Cross country is not a sport that you can fake. If you want to be good, you have to train. There is no way around it. There is no secret to getting better, it’s just running everyday and working hard. This applies to everyone, but especially for people who want to start running.

 

16.) Do you have any runners from North Dakota that you’ve drawn inspiration from or look up to? What about professional runners?

I really look up to the guys that graduated before me, Jake Leingang and Sam Clausnitzer especially. There are a lot more guys that Anderson has told me stories about, and I really look up to those guys as well. I look up to everything they did while running at Bismarck High. Everytime I walk by the trophy case, and the majority of it is filled with cross country trophies, it amazes me. Hearing their stories makes me want to be a better runner. I want to be more like those guys, but those guys also set high goals. I am very competitive, and a little part of me compares myself to them. Of course, I want to be better than they were, but I know that might not be the case, and that’s okay. More than anything, those guys just help me become better. I know I may never be as good as they were, but I really want to try. Those are the main guys I strive to run like. Sure there are cool professional runners, but it means a lot more to me, and I feel much more connected with the guys who graduated before me. That being said, I was introduced to Tayte Pollmann who is a Nike Trail Runner. Through friends I was given the opportunity to stay with him this summer, and we became friends. As professional runners go, he is by far my favorite, and he is an incredible person.

ND Runner Interview #7- Class B Girl's State XC Champ Peyton Gette

 On Saturday, October 24th, in temperatures hovering in the mid-20s with snow on the ground, the Class A State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND, and the Class B State Cross Country Meet was held further north at the Cooperstown Country Club. The Class A races stayed close to the predictions, whereas the Class B meet had some upsets. This interview is the third of four interviews with the individuals who won state titles this year.

Interview with Class A Girl's Champion Meghan Ford can be found here.

Interview with Class B Boy's Champion Brian Miller can be found here.

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Smile! You're a State Champion!
Photo Credit: Hillsboro Banner

Much like the Class B Boy's race, the Class B Girl's race did not have a clear favorite going into the state race. Many of the girls in the top 10 in the polls came from the East Region, and many of those girls had won at least one race at some point during the season, and even head-to-head comparisons would fail to produce any consistency. 

Ranked 7th going into the state meet was a 9th grader from Kindred. She had only won one regular season race, and that was in a meet with only three teams competing. She had not been ranked higher than 3rd all season in the polls, and was ranked 6th in the final coaches poll leading up to the state meet. Her only placement at state track was a 6th place in the 3200 meter run back as a 7th grader in 2019. In her first cross country race of the season, she lost by over a minute to girl who would be at the state meet. 

But there were signs pointing in the opposite direction. In her last race of the regular season, she took 2nd place by 8 seconds. At the region meet, she placed 2nd, 5 seconds behind the #1 ranked runner in the polls, and beating many of the rest of the top 10 in the process. The table was set. 

At state, Peyton Gette of Kindred High School placed 1st with a time of 19:08.7, two seconds ahead of Norah Entzi (Edgeley-Kulm), and 20 seconds clear of everyone else. It was the first state title for the 9th grader from the small Red River Valley town southwest of Fargo. Gette burst onto the scene as a 7th grader, placing 11th overall and being the 1st 7th grader to cross the line. In 8th grade, she placed 17th, a few places back from the year before. This year, she had the breakthrough and won it all. She was the only non-senior to win an individual title this year, and she helped her team to a 4th place overall finish at state. 

Below are the questions I posed to State Champ Peyton Gette of Kindred High School. I have to admit a little bias, because I grew up in Horace, ND, just up the road from Kindred. I learned that Peyton is a team player and already understands how important relationships are in running. .

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1.)    First of all, congrats on your victory! You came from a tough region, as evidenced by 8 of the top 10 all coming from the East Region. You took second at the east region meet last week. How did you mentally and physically prepare for this race? 

 

Physically, I made sure that I was eating good all week and that my sleep schedule stayed the same. Mentally, I told myself to enjoy the moment and to not stress. 

 

2.)    With fresh snow on the ground and sub-freezing temperatures, did your approach for warming up or preparing for the race change? 

 

Last year at state it was really cold as well, I was nervous and didn’t feel as prepared. This year, I tried to not over think the weather and just felt more confident. 

 

3.)    Talk a little bit about the race. How did it play out? What was your race strategy? 

 

I was really determined to get out fast and around the first few turns. After that, I settled in with the front pack until a little after 2 miles. At that time, I was able to move out front and stay there. 

 

4.)    This is your first individual state title. What does it mean to you, and how does it feel?

 

 I never expected to have a state title as a freshman. It’s such an honor and it means so much to me. It feels so amazing!

 

5.)    You placed 11^th at the state cross country meet and 6^th in the 3200 meters at state track as a 7^th grader, and now you have a state title as a freshman. What do you think allowed you to have that amount of success early in your varsity career? 

 

My teammates are a big part of my success, I don’t know what I would do if they weren’t there with me. My coaches have also lead me here, pushing me in practice everyday.

 

6.)    Obviously this year is different. We all know that every walk of life has been changed by the pandemic. Your track season was cut in the spring, and you didn’t know how cross country would play out. How did you cope with not having track last season?

 

I didn’t know if we would get to finish the cross country season after being quarantined for 3 weeks. That was very stressful. I trained every day of the track season, doing all the workouts I normally would at home by myself. 

 

7.)    What has it been like to train through the pandemic and keep your sights on goals that you have? 

 

It’s been hard not getting to train close to all my teammates. We did our workouts and runs in small pods this season. Our team didn’t get to be as close as we would have liked, but overall we made it work and are thankful we made it to the state meet. 

 

8.)    What does the rest of cross country season look like for you? Are there any races to go to?  How about for track- what are your goals there?

 

I was planning on running at Nike regionals this year but it was cancelled due to the pandemic. I’m really excited to see how the track season plays out, considering I haven’t raced on a track since 7th grade. My biggest goal is definitely to do well in the state for the 2 mile run. 

 

9.)    To what or to whom can you attribute this success you’ve experienced? 

 

My teammates make cross country so much more enjoyable. I looked up to the older kids so much during my 7th grade season. My coaches are also a big part of my success. To think we didn’t even have a cross country team 4 years ago. I would never be here if it wasn’t for them. 

 

10.) What does running mean to you?

 

       Hard work and dedication and also setting and reaching goals. 

 

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

 

My favorite place to run in North Dakota would have to be Cooperstown. I didn’t like it in past years, but after racing here several times this year, I learned to love it!

 

12.) What words of advice can you give to those who are interested in running?

 

       It might take awhile to get to where you want to be. Trust the process and really try to enjoy it.

 

13.) What adversity have you experienced with running, and what did you do to overcome it?

 

Last year I had to overcome 2 stress fractures in my foot. I had to miss a couple meets and my first race back was regionals and then state. I had to cross train and it really made me overthink a lot of things.

 

14.) Do you have any runners from North Dakota that you’ve drawn inspiration from or look up to? What about professional runners?

 

I enjoy following Meghan Ford of Jamestown and also Onnica Stansbury of West Fargo Sheyenne. 

 

ND Runner Interview #6- Class B Boy's State XC Champ Brian Miller

 Last Saturday, in temperatures hovering in the mid-20s with snow on the ground, the Class A State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND, and the Class B State Cross Country Meet was held further north at the Cooperstown Country Club. The Class A races stayed close to the predictions, whereas the Class B meet had some upsets. This interview is the second of four interviews with the individuals who won state titles this year.

Interview with Class A Girl's Champion Meghan Ford can be found here.

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Smile, You're a State Champ! Courtesy NDHSAA

We all love an underdog story, right? In his senior year of cross country, before the state meet, Brian Miller did not win a varsity cross country meet in North Dakota (he did win two in South Dakota). He was never ranked higher than 4th place in the coaches poll, and in the final poll before the state meet he was ranked 9th. At the West Region meet, he finished 7th. He has never scored an individual point at the state track meet. 

This is not to say he hadn't come close. Going into his senior year of high school, he had been top-20 at Class B State Cross Country an impressive 4 different times, dating all the way back to 8th grade. Going all the way back to his 7th grade year, his team had never finished worse than 5th at state, and had placed as high as second. However, titles remained elusive. Judging by the polls, most did not expect him to win the big race. 

At this year's state meet, the previous results and polls were shown wrong. Miller crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 16:14, less than two seconds ahead of Class B Boy's State Senior Athlete of the Year and region rival Noah Rolfe (Stanley). Not only did Miller get to celebrate an individual accomplishment, but his team won the team title in commanding fashion, scoring 56 points to second-place Hillsboro/Central Valley's 101 points. Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that their victory end a streak of 8 consecutive titles by the dynastic New Town Eagles. 

As I've written about extensively on here, Class B cross country many times ends up being a battle between small programs in the middle of nowhere with limited facilities and resources. Bowman County is one of the more remote school districts in North Dakota, and yet they manage to put together quality programs year after year. In recognition of this fact, Bowman County took home another piece of hardware with their head coach, Jonathan Jahner receiving the Class B Boy's State Coach of the Year award. 

Below are the questions I put to Brian. I learned in these questions that the reason he didn't run in the first few races of the season was because he was at basic training. Crazy! Perhaps my favorite quote from all of it is: "I got better from losing and wanting to win."

I asked him about his team, his victory, the pandemic, and more!

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1.) First of all, congrats on your victory! You came out of a tough region, with all of the top 5 runners at state coming from the West, and all of whom had just beaten you at the Region meet. What was your mindset coming into the race? How did you mentally prepare?

Thank You! We west region boys run on some hills so of course we are tough, just kidding anyways, My mindset was probably not what most people would expect. They would probably expect me to have some doubt about my capabilities and like you said losing to those very same runners during regionals. But it was not. I have been in this sport for 6 years and I’ve had bad races. Regionals was a bad race for me. I have had good races one of those being a Lemmon (SD) meet in which I ran a 16:32 and personal record (PR). So, what I am trying to say is I was confident in my abilities and more importantly my team. The only doubt I had was that I was at Basic training this summer and it cut into the season, so I was late for the season and it took me about 3 weeks to fully develop again. There was not much mental preparation on my end, our coaches told us exactly how the course was going to be and walked us through different situations. I trusted my team and I knew that I had to stay right with Noah Rolfe, Patrick Wrigley (Shiloh Christian), and Ian Busch (Beulah-Hazen) and when or if I made a move it had to fast and strong. I know everyone’s race strategy from running with the same boys for so long. It was over-do to do something special from a team aspect last year me and the team wanted to give fellow teammate who was a senior a championship and we fell short. This year it was all blood in the water and we were the sharks we were mad and ready to kill.

2.) With fresh snow on the ground and sub-freezing temperatures, did your approach for warming up or preparing for the race change?

No nothing changed in warm up, in this sport it is vital that you are consistent and do the same thing before every meet. We were ready for the absolute worst at state, we were ready for 9 inches of snow and 25 mph wind, all week leading up to state we wore under cloths and lots of layers to prepare our bodies for this slight change. But it honestly wasn’t that bad or cold. And we had the same race plan.

3.) Talk a little about your race. How did it play out? What was your race strategy?

I cannot take any credit for this race strategy that belongs to the masterminds named Mr. Jahner and Mr. Bowman. Most of the time if a course is flat you just must get out fast and finish fast, on more hilly courses is where you can bring people back and strategy is crucial. Our coaches, did their homework on the course, they previously had a meet at Cooperstown and learned that there was a sharp turn left in the beginning that would quite literally bring runners to a halt and with 90 more kids going to be at the state meet it was drilled in our head to get out fast. If you did not get out fast you could screw the teammate behind, you in the small start boxes at state where you can only put 2-3 runners in front. So, I got out incredibly fast, me and teammate Caleb Sarsland were leading the race. About a hundred meters or so in there is a sharp left turn then 25 meters right turn and then 20 meters another right turn. As we were approaching the first turn out of the corner of my eye, I saw just a storm of people to the left of us. I yelled at Caleb to cut in. I was leading the race for about another 100 meters when I started to slow down and wait for Ian, Patrick, and Noah. I have run with these guys a lot and I know they like to get out strong and hold it. I let them pass me and I followed them. The first mile was 5:08 and the second mile was 10:34. Now here again is when my team’s coaches played another amazing role. Our coach have us finish with some sort of an 800m finish on tempo runs or just general practice. We always practice our finish and thank god the coaches did that. As I was running, the coaches met me in different spots and looked at me and said, “Don’t wait to make your move at the finish make it when you’re ready”. That is what I did as I reached about ¾ of mile left I made my move, I put 20 meters of ground between me and Ian, Noah, and Patrick. I built to the finish line, I did make my move maybe a little bit too soon, because I started to die within the last 200 -300 meters. And then Noah Rolfe who was my best guess who would win state was shoulder to shoulder with me. That gave me just enough momentum for me to finish when you can see a guy right next to you it brings a competitive edge.

4.) This is your first individual state title. What does that mean to you, and how does it feel?

The goal should always be to see growth and improvement you know I went from 65,20,13,19,7,1 in state placing and I am more than happy with that. But, honestly for me I love the sport for the competitive thrill but to be part of a team(s) for 6 years and have some amazing teammates and being part of a family. I love the feeling of bringing some hardware home to the supportive community of Bowman and sharing the riches with my teammates old and new. I hope that winning spirit and family atmosphere stays around for a long time.

5.) For the first time since 2011 and only the third time since 2003, a team other than New Town won the state team title. In your time at Bowman County, your team has placed 5th, 3rd, 5th, 3rd, 2nd, and now 1st at state. What does it mean to you, in your senior season, to finally get that team win? 

It’s unbelievable, I had some really fast people running on the team when I first joined the sport and then I became one of those guys. New Town always had some fast dudes, it’s an incredible program they run, I fully anticipate them to bounce right back. When you get 2nd or runner-up at state you feel good about the win, but you just have doubt about how you could have been better. I really wanted to see my senior teammate, Camden Wokal to be part of a winning team. And we fell short, so to come back and win it my senior year. I think it just shows how hungry the team was for a win. The team even before I was around wanted blood, they led the polls right away. When I came back it just intensified and grew stronger.

6.) On the topic of New Town, what has it been like racing for years in a region dominated by a team other than your own?

Not even going to lie it has been tough, as an athlete I’ve lost to them in Track and Cross Country repeatedly. When we beat them in regionals Junior year in Cross Country it was a big reward, but we lost to them at state. It’s a amazing program and amazing coaches they deserved everything they got.

7.) Obviously this year is different. We all know that every walk of life has been changed by the pandemic. Your track season was cut in the spring, and you didn’t know how cross country would play out. How did you cope with not having track last season?

It’s just the way of life I was sad at the time but looking at it now nothing I could do about it anyways. Just go with the flow.

8.) What has it been like to train through the pandemic and keep your sights on goals that you have?

Training through the pandemic was easy except maybe for the open windows on the bus that got pretty chilly. The hard part was when some kind of covid-19 news happen. Like someone got sick or this person was a close contact. I mean that’s two weeks of their life’s just poof and as you got closer to state that was hard to take. Most of us runners went to distance learning the week or 2 before state so we wouldn’t end up on anybody’s close contact list. When we found out that they were taking the tradition number of 10 runners and cut it to 7 runners that was a hardest pill to swallow. I want everyone on the team to compete no matter how good or bad. The goal never faltered we have studs and were deep. If anything it made me want to run faster for the ones who worked so hard for their season just to not even go.

9.) What does the rest of cross country season look like for you? Are there any races to go to? How about for track- what are your goals there?

Just going to prepare for college and get good grades. Probably not any more races but practices to stay in shape. My goals for track I will have to develop when the sport if the sport starts. Take some time off and sharpen my running tools.

10.) Do you have plans to run in college? Have you committed anywhere?

I would love to run in college and I haven’t committed anywhere just looking at some places for the time being.

11.) To what or to whom can you attribute this success you’ve experienced?

I got better from losing and wanting to win. So my teammates and my rivals all push me.

12.) What does running mean to you?

My parents didn’t let me join football when I was young so I joined Cross Country and I loved it. I was not a good runner at the time but slowly developed into one. For me running embraced a competitive spirt and I loved competition. I play basketball and track and you don’t have a family aspect like you do through cross country and running. Cross country teammates are family even the ones who leave the sport.

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

We have this road here in Bowman that we call Cemetery Road, we have countless miles on this road. It’s almost the perfect road to run on because it goes east and west with hills. That would be my favorite place besides a state course atmosphere.

14.) What words of advice can you give to those who are interested in running?

Words of advice, I think I would start about by saying running isn’t for everyone- it takes incredible amount of work. But also you don’t immediately become good you have to put the work in. Being a runner is a great reward every day you can see your goals improve. Increasing your distance, time, just general health is the biggest reward you can see for yourself and competing for your teammates it’s both spirit and guts.

15.) What adversity have you experienced with running, and what did you do to overcome it?

I could give a sob story about shin splints, hamstring pain, and about how I had to wear compression sleeves on my knees. But none of that matters, its truly a mental sport. You can run another mile and you can increase your time. You just have to believe in your training.

16.) Do you have any runners from North Dakota that you’ve drawn inspiration from or look up to? What about professional runners?

There’s a couple boys up at NDSU that I can think of. Most notedly Alex Bartholomay, who is also from bowman and was my teammate when I was in seventh grade. He pushed me in practice because I thought it was unbelievable that he could start a mile behind me and beat me by a mile. Alex always passed me in this one particular spot on commentary road, every day I would grow a step stronger because of him. The competition edge was awesome. Also Isaac Huber, he was the only one that could run with New Town and beat some of them. As professionals go it would definitely be Steve Prefontaine who went from some hometown hero to a record breaking long distance runner and a quote of his “Somebody might beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it” was pretty impactful for me.