You might think that running alongside your arch-rival might bring on some serious trash talk. At Tampa Chamberlain High school, it could be an everyday thing as No. 1 runner Max del Monte and No. 2 Jake Covington share the cross country course on a daily basis, each pushing each other farther and farther.
But there is no trash talk. They are good friends, del Monte and Covington, pushing each other and setting the tone for the rest of the team. They are friends--that is--up until the last 100 meters of the race. That's when they forget their friendship and try to crush each other!
"Once we get close, we forget about being friends," said the soft-spoken del Monte. "It's all about winning at that point."
It has been all about winning for two years for del Monte who gained some national attention when he ran a 1600 meter 4:16.42 last spring at the Florida Relays which was, at that point in the season, the best time recorded by a high school sophomore in the country. This season, del Monte is dominating the Tampa cross country scene, but he can hear the footsteps of Covington, a senior, who is pushing him to the limit.
At the Central Hillsborough Invitational on Sept. 15, del Monte and Covington clearly outpaced the field and del Monte kicked it into high gear down the stretch to score a time of 16:42, one second better then Covington. Chamberlain coach Bill Strack reined his runners in and told them not to worry about time after their romp through the mud at the FACA Classic just four days earlier, where Del Monte finished fifth in 16:10.
For del Monte, a win is a win and he says he's looking forward to the flrunners.com Invitational in Titusville next month. Running is a labor of love for del Monte who has been running long distances for five years. He has been on the Chamberlain varsity since his freshman year, but he started two years prior to that. He wanted to be a basketball player and finally started running with his mother, a competitive runner herself. He started to enjoy the simplicity of the sport and everything clicked.
"I started running and loved it almost right away," del Monte said. "You have to love this to do it and I love it. When I am running, I am always happy and I know that this is what I am supposed to be doing. Nothing makes me happier."
Chamberlain finished ninth in the states last year, but del Monte said he and Covington could do better this time around. At the Hillsborough meet, Shawn Russo finished third as Chamberlain dominated the standings.
"Last year was a good experience," del Monte said. "We had a solid year. This year we know we can do better than anybody expects. We are planning to let it all hang out like we have nothing to lose."
As for his competitive nature, running side by side with Covington every day, del Monte said that only makes both of them better.
"There's no trash talk and there doesn't need to be because we both run because we love it," del Monte said. "We push each other and whatever happens is going to happen."
Strack said del Monte ran at least 80 miles a week over the summer and wouldn't mind going even farther.
"Max has a great work ethic and he's going to do whatever it takes," Strack said. "He's humble enough not to talk about it but that's what makes him special."
