1) John, I just realized that I don't know where you are headed next year to run? Have you made your decision or are you still waiting?
I actually made my decision a long time ago. I will be heading to Ithaca, New York to compete alongside fellow North Carolinians Steven Bell(SE Raleigh), and David McCuiston(formerly of Marvin Ridge) at Cornell University.
2) Last year you ran a personal best time of 1:54.04 in the 800 at the 2A State Championships. That gave you the win by 3/4 or a second over Aaron Combs of Starmount. What goals do you have for this season?
My goals for this season are to continue to improve my fitness and speed. I don't want to put down any kind of time that I'm trying to achieve because I feel that having good fitness to be able to compete well and then competing well are the most important things and if I take care of those the times are going to come down naturally. I guess if I had to put specific goals it would be to win another state championship and make the All-American team at Nike (or now New Balance?) Outdoor Nationals and to qualify for the USATF Junior National meet.
3) You recently traveled to Jamaica and ran the 4x800. First off, please tell us about your race and who you were running with on the relay.
The race went really well. I ran a 1:54.5 split which was great because I have never run that fast in February. I also felt really strong which is important because I wasn't able to run cross country this fall and therefore never got that great of a base. But being able to finish a 1:54 relay leg shows me that the work I have put in this winter is paying off. My teamates were awesome. We had Julian Woods from New York City, Keith Griffiths from New Jersey, and Bronson Duran from New Mexico who ran a great anchor leg to claim third place for the team.
4) Now, please tell us about your experience there . . . mainly, tell the audience about the 4x400!
The atmosphere was absolutely electric. Imagine 40,000 people in a stadium all screaming their lungs out for every race of what was essentially a high school meet with a couple professional races thrown in. I wish track could be that big in the U.S because it would really help the sport. Also Usain Bolt is an absolutely amazing athlete. I was able to see him run a 43.5 split in which he came back from almost 40 meters down to lose by one step. I don't think I have ever seen anything so amazing.
5) This weekend you are running the 800 in NY along with John Spencer Wolfe of Polk County. What are you hoping to run at the NSIC meet?
I'm hoping to make the All-American team and run an indoor PR this weekend. Like I said, the most important thing for me is to be able to compete well especially against the top athletes in the country and I definitely want to compete well this weekend.
6) John's goal is to break the indoor 800 NC record, but you are obviously fit enough to do the same thing. Have you thought about the NC All-Time Record of 1:54.4 set by Dylan Ferris?
I have definitely thought about it. Seeing as I'm number two on the all-time list right now. It would be a great way to end my high school indoor career if I could break that mark this weekend.
7) When did you start running? How old were you?
I started running in seventh grade to get faster for basketball and lacrosse, and after a pretty successful freshmen year in high school I realized "Hey I can be good at this."
8) When did you say to yourself that you wanted to be an 800m runner?
I was initially a 400 meter guy and actually stilll run the 400 a lot. I guess the turning point for me was after running cross country all year sophomore year my coach put me in the 800 at East Tennesee State and I won my race with a 9 second PR. Later on that season I went on to Nike Indoor Nationals and won my race while finishing 25th overall. I then decided the 800 was the best event for me.
9) What have you learned about yourself through training, racing, etc?
I have learned that there are no shortcuts in anything you do. If you work hard in training, and bring a great effort and attitude every day to the track you will be successful. I feel it is this commitment to hard work that has helped me be successful both on the track and in the classroom