What was your most memorable race?
I would say my most memorable race would be my senior year at district when I was running and this kid from another school were trying to place for regionals. I remember him saying on the last 1200m that we need to catch this kid that was in front of us from Colonial and as we slowly crept up on the kid I started to here another voice from the crowd and it was my coach saying " you got to go now Eli you gotta want it". That is when I started to kick and give everything I had which turned out to be enough to qualify for regionals.
Who would you consider your biggest competition?
I would say everybody is my competition because you never want to under estimate the person next to you.
Out of all of your high school accomplishments, which stands out the most?
I would say breaking some of the school records at my school.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
I would have done track and cross country my freshman year. Also, I would have done AAU track to become a better runner.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
I would say the most difficult would be those times where my coach gives use work outs that I dont' wantado or those days where I want to do a long run, but my coach has something else planned for the day.
What will you miss the most?
I would say what i will miss the most is my team mates from cross country and track because they were like my family and i will never forget them. Another thing would be all of the freshman that came in this year that I worked with or other runners that I helped out to become stronger athletes and looked up to me as a role model.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
I would tell them to find someone one on your team that is better than you and try to run with them during practice so you can get faster. If you are already the best than keep doing what you are doing or put in twice as much work. Remember never give up on yourself because as soon as you start to do that the more uninterested you will be in doing the sport or the task that your coach has given you. Another thing is you want to join dome type of year round track team so that you can stay in shape and continue to train even when high school track is over for you.
What influence has your coach had on you with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
The influence that my coach has on me is that even though you are the best at the sport in your school there is always someone else out there that is ready to put your skills to the test. She has also showed me that being dedicated to your sport and pushing yourself even when nobody else is there to push you is important.
What are your college plans?
My plans for college are to go run at Tiffin University in Ohio for their cross country and track program.
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I would like to say thank you to all my friends, family, coaches, and my UHS cross country and track teammates. Especially the guy that I've looked up to since I began my track and cross country seasons while in high school Chris Cattanach.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you FLrunners.com for putting up all those races because I would have never knew about them if it wasn't for you guys.
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