Flrunners.com: What was your most memorable race/moment?
Billy Fields: My most memorable race was the 3200 meter as districts my junior year. I was ranked 9th and I was racing against some of the top runners in the state. I narrowly missed making it to regions and I got 5th. It was a PR and it sparked a drive in my for my senior Cross Country and Track season.
FLR: Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
BF: My biggest competition was racing against my teammates. My first 2 years, a few seniors knocked me off varsity. The next few years, I was super competitive for those spots as new talented freshman came in hungry for varsity.
FLR: What was your greatest accomplishment?
BF: My greatest accomplishment was being part of a team that made it to states 3 straight years and being a vital part of those teams.
FLR: If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
BF: I would change the amount of work I put in freshman year. If I worked harder that year, it would have given me a better foundation for the years to come.
FLR: What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
BF: My most difficult obstacle was just being the #8 runner. My freshman and sophomore year I was the #8 runner for cross country, so I didn't get to run in the state series, which was devastating to me. I wanted to quit and didn't think I had what it took to be a great runner. I dealt with this mental battle for a few years.
FLR: What will you miss the most?
BF: I will miss my team the most. I had the greatest team any runner could ever ask for. They're the friends I hung out the most with and their jokes about me will even be missed.
FLR: What advice you would give to younger athletes?
BF: To all the young lads, just have fun. Train hard and enjoy running and you'll ball out at the races for sure.
FLR: What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
BF: My coach is a rad guy. He helped me not only with running, but also taught me a lot about myself in the process. He taught me about training hard, which helped me race well and will always help me in the future.
FLR: What are your college plans?
BF: My college plans are to party hard, ball out in class, make friends, go on the occasional run, and join a running club and ultimate Frisbee team.
FLR: Who would you like to say thank you to?
BF: Thanks to all the fast guys for giving me competition. And more importantly, thanks to all the slow guys that I got to take pleasure in beating. Also thanks to my teammates because they're pretty cool.
FLR: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
BF: Enjoy running while you can, because not running sucks. Oh yeah, and also, Go Gators!!!