North Carolina will be sending 4 athletes to this weekend's Foot Locker Nationals. One female, Wesley Frazier of Ravenscroft, and three guys, Blake Williams, Scott Morgan, & Thomas Graham. I recently was able to touch base with the 3 guys and ask a few questions. This is the first time in North Carolina history that NC will send 3 boys to these Championships.
Blake Williams of Northern Durham finished 2nd overall at the South Regional running 14:58. He also won the state title in 4A this year which was made a bit more difficult as his main focus on the season was to get back to San Diego. Blake qualified last year and had the opportunity to run at Foot Locker Nationals along with Jake Hurysz of NC last year. So, Blake comes in as the experienced one (Wesley also qualfied last year on the girl's side) and will help guide the other 2 newbies.
Going into the XC season, did you feel pressure to repeat as a Foot Locker finalists? Was there any point in the season when you felt like things weren't going in the right direction?
Going into the season the pressure was definitely there. The pressure to re-qualify grew a bit during the early season when my season wasn't going exactly how I wanted it to due to some illnesses. Eventually, I just relaxed and told myself I would qualify and the pressure dissipated.
Was your training aimed at Foot Locker South and Foot Locker Nationals during the season?
My training has been focused on Foot Locker Nationals.
How do you feel your experience from last year will help you this Saturday?
My experience from last year will help me cope better with the mesmerizing experience that can make some lose their focus. I will also be prepared for the difficult course.
What advice have you given or will you give to Scott and Thomas about San Diego?
So far my advice to Scott and Thomas has been to have fun and relax. They know that they are there for a race but they should have fun, too.
Last year you finished a very respectable 20th place in 15:44 at Foot Locker Nationals. What are your goals headed into this year's race?
My goal this year is to be as close to the front as I can. My workouts have been going amazing, and my legs feel stronger than ever. If I race smart then great things can happen.
Scott Morgan of Calvary Baptist has won the 2A NCISAA state title the last two years and this year ran a very impressive 15:33 on a tough moutain course. At that point it seemed obvious that he was primed for a run at the Foot Locker National meet. Scott ran a very smart race and put himself up at the front. He was even slightly leading around the lake at points at the Foot Locker South race.
During the Foot Locker South race, you were right at the front from the gun. What was going through your mind throughout the race?
I was super excited to be at the front of the race at the beginning. I was really worried about getting boxed in at the start, so I was glad to get out front. At that point, I was confident about my chances of finishing top 10. From then on I just tried to stay near the leader and see what I could do.
What were your goals/expectations for last week's race? What feelings did you have right after, finishing in 3rd place in the region?
My goal was just to finish top 10 and go to San Diego. My training had been going well leading up to the race, so I decided to run as if I was trying to win and hope to not get passed by too many people. I was not even dreaming of finishing as high as 3rd, so I was very excited and surprised after the race.
What has been the biggest change with your training that has gotten you to this new level?
This year I began to work with Coach Catton and the Reagan team. I trained with Forrest Lyerly who really helped push me in runs and workouts. He never let me back down and I got used to getting beat by him at practice every day. That really helped my fitness level improve. Coach Catton's workouts helped me peak at the right time and got me into the best shape I've ever been in.
It seems like you have made very close friendships over the last couple years with a number of the state's finest distance runners. What will it mean for you to travel with Thomas and Blake to San Diego?
It's very exciting to be able to go to Nationals with Blake and Thomas. I knew Blake had made it because he finished right in front of me, but I was not sure if Thomas had. I was psyched when I saw him come in and I am glad that I get to go with both of those guys. Hopefully all three of us can represent North Carolina well at Nationals.
Finally, what are your goals for the upcoming weekend?
I'd say my biggest goal is not to lose. Other than that, I just want to try to get into the pack and put myself in position to run a good race. I think it would be awesome if I could finish top 15. I think that it is possible if everything goes well, but I'm certainly not expecting it. I'm just going to go in trying to have fun but still stay focused on putting together a great race. It is my last cross country meet of high school, so I am going to give it my best shot.
Thomas Graham of Cary Academy has had a stellar career and is only a junior. He is a 3-time NCISAA 3A XC state champ . . . that's right, he won as a 9th grader. Last year, Graham just missed qualifying running a very quick 15:03. A time that would have qualified any other year for the Championships. This year, he was able to capture that top-10 spot, finishing 9th overall. Graham will come in next year like Blake did, with some high expectations to qualify again. However, as everyone knows, making it once to the Foot Locker National Championships is quite an achievement.
During the Foot Locker South race, knowing you were right there in the mix for the top 10, what was going through your head?
During the race, I was just trying to stay with the lead group. It wasn't too bad for the first couple of miles, since the pace went out slow compared to what it did last year. Unlike last year, I managed to get out well and stayed right up near the front the whole time. Coming in to the third mile, the top 5 or 6 guys took off and I knew that if I was going to have a chance at qualifying I would have to catch back up. I never quite got caught up with Jimmy and Blake, but trying to cover their move definitely helped me separate from the huge pack that was still together around the lake. After that, I basically just held on for dear life.
Qualifying as a junior puts you in some pretty elite company. What does it mean to you to represent North Carolina in San Diego?
Representing North Carolina well is everything to me. I love the state and all the people who are involved in running here, and making sure that our NC group gets some positive attention nationally will be a huge motivator for me. There have been so many good runners who have had the honor of representing us in the past, and I still can't believe I get the chance to join them. As far as qualifying this year, 2 of the 3 other NC qualifiers also qualified as a junior or younger, so hearing their experiences definitely made me even more excited to potentially get two trips to San Diego.
You have quite an elite training group up in the Cary, NC. How has the quality of your training partners raised your own training and racing?
Over the last couple of summers, I've been incredibly lucky as to the quality of guys I've had to run with. As a freshman and sophomore, it was really motivating to get to run with guys like Dakota Peachee and Jake Hurysz who I looked up to as runners. At times, we would have a huge group of guys out there to do weekly long runs, and everyone could hang and would push the pace. It seems like the quality of running in the state has been getting better and better over the last few years, and you have to keep improving at the same rate just to get noticed. Recently, I've been doing workouts with Bobby Mintz, who lives really close to me and was just a couple of seconds back at Foot Locker. Workouts with him have definitely helped me push runs late in the season.
Who will be traveling with you to San Diego?
I'm going out on my own, but my parents, sister, coach, assistant coach, and a family friend are all coming a day later.
As you are getting ready to make the trek across the country, what are your goals for the race on Saturday?
I think the harder, hiller course at Balboa will suit me a little bit better the really fast one at McAlpine, so I'm shooting for a top 25 finish. Most of my expectations were set on the South meet, though, so no pressure, right?
