Alex Sullivan, Northampton High School
What do you enjoy doing outside of your running?
I love playing golf with my friends, playing ping-pong, looking for four leaf clovers, and eating whole sleeves of "DoubleStuf" Oreos.
What are you going to miss most about your high school running career?
How close our team was, and my relationship with the coaches. A lot of my best friends came from spending so much time together during xc and track; there's really nothing like it. It's also nice to be close enough with your coaches to where you can goof around with them but also be able to talk about anything and be serious when it matters.
What was your most memorable race?
My junior year at the Western Mass. Championship. I was running the 800 against someone who had beaten me the previous year, and we both knew it would come down to the two of us. My coaches came up with a race plan, and I just had to trust it. We separated from the pack right away, and with 300 to go I pulled up along him, but fell back just as we planned. Around the turn he began to pull away and I wasn't sure if I had enough left. On the final stretch I was back maybe 20 meters, but just put my head down and kicked, beating him out on the very last step with 1:57.
Out of all your high school running accomplishments, what stands out the most?
Setting the Western Mass Championship record for the 1000m was special for a few reasons. I hadn't had a great season in terms of times I wanted up to that point, and I didn't necessarily plan on going for the record so it was a great surprise. It was also my 3rd consecutive 1000m title which was exciting.
What was the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
A lot of the time I found it difficult to manage my time between school, social life, and all the running. It's definitely a balancing act and takes some time to figure out how to manage everything on your plate.
Do you have any advice for younger runners?
I would say try to set small goals for yourself in order to stay motivated. One of the best aspects about running is that you can follow your individual progress very easily. There's nothing better than a p.r. to get yourself re-energized.
If you were to change anything about your high school running career.....what would you change?
Maybe treat my body better. I never really ate well, and especially my senior year I didn't sleep as much as I should have. There's a noticeable difference when you're well-rested.
What are your college plans?
I'll be running track and studying International Business at the University of South Carolina.
Who would you like to say thank you to?
First of all my whole coaching staff. I honestly think I had some of the best coaches in the state which made all the difference in the world. Not only the coaching itself and how knowledgeable they were about the sport, but people like Coach Kraft, Coach Clayton, and Coach Frodema always kept me motivated and excited about running. Even though I wasn't a field athlete the jumping and throwing coaches were just as amazing. Also my family for coming to just about every home/away meet, and for a ridiculous amount of trips to Reggie over the years.