Senior, Creekside – 1st place at Foot Locker Regional
This course is known for its steep hill which runners run twice. What kind of hill work have you been doing to prepare? “We don’t have many hills in Jacksonville but I went this past weekend and did a workout on the bridges downtown: It went well, I’m just looking to go and attack the hills using the down hills. I really haven’t looked at the course all too much but I know it is two loops. I know there’s a big hill and I am just going to look and attack that hill and not let it intimidate me. After this interview I’ll probably call Matt (Mizereck) and find out what his strategy was and go from there.”
Matt Mizereck placed 10th last year how does having him as a friend to offer up advice help you out? “It probably is an advantage. I’m just going to talk to Matt about what his strategy was the do’s and don’ts when he was there. We’ll probably just joke around I know he’s going to tell me I better finish better than him. We’ve always had a competition. I’ve always tried to match what he did when his high school career came to an end. I think it’s a little bit of an advantage to talk to someone who has run the course and finished well last year.”
Have you thought yet about if you want push the pace or hold back? “I really don’t know yet me and my coach really haven’t talked about it. We’re going for a run after we get settled in at the hotel so I’m sure we’ll talk there. I know I am definitely going to go and attack the hills and use the downhill. You don’t want to hold back on those. I watched some race footage from last year and I’m looking forward to going out and running. I’m naturally a front runner. I’m not going to lead the race from the start. I’m sure once I go and talk to my coach I'll pick a point where it’s a gut check and you have to tell yourself about all that hard work you put in against all those great kids and you just have to go or not and I’m not sure where that’ll be but I know it’s not going to be a cake walk. It’s going to be a race against some of the top guys in the nation.”
On the prestige of the event: “It’s really an honor for 32 years Foot Locker has been putting on a really great race and to be a part of the history is a really great feeling. To be able to go to the race and participate in all the activities it’s a once in a lifetime experience and to race against the top kids in the nation, kids you expect to see in college at the top and to say hey I went to nationals with them, it leaves a mark, and that’s what I hope to do is leave my mark somewhere.”
What would it mean to be an All-American, place top ten, or even win the race? “It’d be awesome to put my name into a group of people that have had high school careers like the people you just mentioned (Barringer, Brasovan, Mizereck). It’d be an honor and I really look forward to going out there and placing top 10 or top 14 or wherever I place I’ll be happy but to be able to put my name in a group of people like that would be a great feeling. To win that’d be like a dream come true. I’m going to go out and put out all of my effort. Everyone is asking what are your chances? I’m going in as an underdog. People always ask are you going to go for the win and of course I’m going to go for the win, but I’m also not going to go out and die at the end. I’m going to put in a strong performance, run my race and I hope there is a huge group of kids and were all pushing each other. To be able to go out and compete is an honor in itself.”
More About Jimmy
Jimmy Clark Commits to UF
Long before Jimmy Clark was tearing up cross country courses he was terrorizing soccer fields. At age 13, he switched sports and little did he know how well that decision would paid off for him! The Creekside senior, who set the state's fastest 5k time of 14:53.29 at the FLRunners.com Invitational, announced this weekend that he's made a verbal pledge to join the Florida Gators next fall.
Interview after Foot Locker South
Interview after 3A State Championship
Interview after Prestate
Interview after flrunners.com Invitational, with Pickering
