Interview: Sandy Roberts

by Ricky Quintana

After finishing 16th at the 2004 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, Sandy Roberts, of Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, finished off his junior year with a 3,200m state title, a 4:08.7 1,600m, and a sixth place finish in the two-mile at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in 8:59.23. Couple that with a fourth place finish (9:03.44) in the prestigious Arcadia Invitational two-mile, and a third place finish in the mile (4:14.18) at Penn Relays, and one can see why some of the nation's top colleges — Oregon, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Georgetown to name a few — are interested in this talented senior.

This cross country season, Roberts hasn't missed a beat in breaking records and earning big wins. He won the Great American Festival in Cary, North Carolina, on September 25. His winning time of 15:03 was a meet and course record, and he defeated fellow Foot Locker finalist Mohamud Ige in the process. He followed that up with another 15:03 at the Wendy's Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina, which eclipsed Matt Maline's 2000 course record by five seconds. It was also a six-second PR for Roberts on the McAlpine course; the site of November 26's Foot Locker South Regional.

The fourth-fastest returnee from last year's Foot Locker Finals is eyeing another trip to San Diego in December and will be a favorite for the individual title. A win would end the 20-year-old South drought; Reuben Reina of Texas won the title in 1985.

Two days before his win at the Wendy's Invitational, MensRacing.com caught up with Roberts, who was just returning from a long day of school, practice, and school functions.

MensRacing.com: The pace went out fast at Great American. Can you tell us where you were and what happened at different points during the race?
Sandy Roberts: The start is just so fast. I feel like that is the type of course where guys will come back to you. It's not like McAlpine, where if you don't go with them after the mile or at certain points of the race that are key, the leaders will not come back to you. On a course like this, where there is that 600 meter [portion] that you run twice, you can make your way up.

After the mile, I think I was in about ninth or 10th. My goal for the race was to start making my move when I crested the hill for the first time. That was the time I felt I needed to push the pace and start to move up some. So going up the hill, I started to pass some guys and moved into third place. The rhythm started picking up and I started feeling like it was going to be a good day. At that point, Mohamud Ige [of Denver South High School] was leading and Steven Murdock [of Saratoga Springs High School] was right in front of me. Back in the woods, I caught Murdock. For quite a while, he and I ran together.

At about 2-1/4 miles, I made a move to try to pass him and then I had my eye on Ige, who had about a 10-meter lead. It was all flat back in the woods and I thought that maybe I would go for him, but then I decided I would gamble everything on the last hill. I wanted to see how strong he was on that last hill. It might have been better to just have gone after him, but I just waited. Eventually, Ige tired and I was able to make a strong move up the hill and finish it off strong.

MR: Do you know your splits?
SR: They said Ige went through the two mile in 9:39 so I would have to say it was 9:45-46. I went through the mile in about 4:45. I was far enough back at the mile that I couldn't hear.

MR: At the end, you looked pretty fresh.
SR: I had a lot of momentum up that last hill. It was really neat because a lot of my teammates and some fans were right on that final straightaway and [lining] that hill. They were just screaming and I could just draw off that energy. I was definitely exhausted, but I had a lot of adrenaline pumping and the momentum, so I think that it helped me get to the finish line looking fresher than I was feeling.

MR: You and Jack Bolas [Chapel Hill High School] are both from North Carolina. How much interaction do you have with him?
SR: We're friendly rivals. That's kind of a contradiction, but we'll race each other five or maybe six times during the cross country season. Before we race, we don't talk that much, but afterwards we talk. There's never really any hostility towards each other. We don't hate each other, but we hate losing to each other. When I race him, it always brings out my best, and I'd like to say that of him. It's unique that we can be so close and try and push each other to bring up distance running here in the state of North Carolina.

MR: Matt DeBole [Mount Tabor High School] set the standard for high school running in North Carolina a few years ago. Who were the guys you looked up to coming up?
SR: Matt DeBole and Bobby Mack [North Forsyth High School], at that time, were huge. They were real prominent. When I was a freshman, they were seniors and I thought that some day I could get to their level. I think Jack and I have gotten to that level. I spoke with Jack on Saturday and told him that it would be really neat if [the two of] us went down as the greatest runners of all-time in North Carolina. That would be really special, because there have been so many great ones in front of us. The other two who come to mind are Rick Brookshire [Watagua High School/NC State/ 14th at 1999 Foot Locker Nationals] and Steven Haas [North Mecklenberg High School/Indiana/ 11th at 1999 Foot Locker Nationals] that I know personally that I have always looked up to. Actually, Ricky Brookshire is an assistant here at my high school, which is really cool. He was one of the state's best. He still holds the state mile record. Those are the guys who set the standard. We're just two guys trying to live up to that standard and maybe if we're lucky, we can beat it a little.

MR: It's interesting that Ricky Brookshire is coaching you. What is he up to?
SR: He had some achilles issues that have been nagging him for a long time. He's at NC State, taking some classes. I think this Achilles thing has really put him out. He started running this summer and was going to do some workouts with me to try to get in shape and apply for a sixth year of running for cross country or track, but he's just not able to get into shape. I think his Achilles is bothering him. I think he plans on going to physical therapy school, maybe at Florida State in the next year or so. As far as running, I don't know if it is going to come back like it did before. He had surgery on his Achilles and he just never fully healed it just hurts him too [much].

MR: That's unfortunate. Last year, you finished a non-automatic-qualifying ninth at Foot Locker and then advanced to Nationals. Can you summarize that whole ordeal?
SR: At the end of the season, things were going really well. I was able to win the state meet. I was able to break Matt DeBole's state record. I ran a good two-mile time trial. The stars were really lining up for a good Foot Locker South. I was in position. It was a combination of a few things, but around the lake [during the South Regional race] I just tied up. When I crossed the finish line, I knew I was ninth. I thought, 'How unfortunate.' I'd been gearing up for this and then I'm going to miss it by a spot. Then, I was in the tent because I was the alternate and some guy said there was a chance that I might go. It all depended on Robert Bedsole [of Hoover, Alabama, a runner who's team had qualified for the Nike Team Nationals the following week. The top two performers from each NTN region qualified for the Foot Locker National Cross Country Finals]. Someone explained that to me and I thought that was a neat opportunity of that happens, but I didn't qualify. I didn't rightly deserve to go because I did not qualify. When you get there, you have to finish in the top eight.

When I heard about it, I figured if it works out, this is God's plan and I will take advantage of it and run well because I knew I could. If things didn't work out, it would serve as great motivation. It was one week. That was probably the longest week of my life. I trained like I was going to Foot Locker, but if Robert Bedsole had a bad race the following week, I knew I was going to be sitting at home.

The next Saturday, my friend, Dan Lee, was [going to be] at Nike Team Nationals and I told him to please give me a call as soon as he knew. That Saturday, I was at a University of North Carolina vs. Kentucky basketball game. I'm a huge Carolina fan and that was a big game for us. I was at the game and my cell phone started ringing and I saw that it was Dan Lee. My heart was just thumping out of control. I was like, 'This is it! I'm going to find out if I'm going to San Diego in a week or if my season's over.' Anyway, a voice comes on and it is a foreign-sounding voice. The ironic thing was that at that same time, Raymond Felton had gotten hurt so everybody was screaming and I could barely hear the voice on the phone. [The person on the other end of the phone] said something about San Diego. I didn't know what he said, so I ran up to the concession stand to hear, but I was disconnected. I called back Dan Lee and I asked him what had happened and he said 'You're going to San Diego.' He asked if he knew who had just called me and I told him that I didn't get to understand him too well. He told me it was Bernard Lagat and my mouth just dropped open. I told him 'Bernard Lagat just told me I was going to San Diego?' How incredible was that?! I'm a huge fan of his and he called to tell me that I was going to the greatest high school cross country event that you could possibly go to. It was really neat. Carolina ends up winning and I get to go to San Diego, it was fabulous day for me. I was very fortunate and very blessed to have an opportunity to go out there after that long week of not knowing.

MR: Have you had a chance to meet Bernard Lagat?
SR: At Great American, I was in line to meet with him, but I had to do something so I had to get out of line and I didn't get a chance to talk with him. Next time I see him, I want to ask him if he remembers. That was my goal on Saturday, but I wasn't able to. I just wanted to ask him if he remembers or at least thank him for making the call and letting me know. I really appreciated it.

MR: Last year you finished 16th at Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals. Can you reflect on your race experience and the whole weekend?
SR: It was one of the greatest weekends. My coaches, David Christian and Ricky Brookshire, had been both been to Foot Locker so they prepped me on what was going on. They told me to be focused, but to have a great time and meet some guys. Going in last year, [I wanted to] have a great experience, hopefully do well, and enjoy myself because it was a treat just be there. I think it will be a [slightly] different mindset this year, but last year I just wanted to enjoy it and run well. I have to admit that I was peaked at Foot Locker South. I knew I could run well, but the week before I didn't have a good workout beforehand. I knew these guys were going to fly out and I knew I wasn't going to be able to go out with them and maintain it. That wouldn't have been a smart plan for me.

I went out hard enough to be in the race, but conservatively because it was a tougher course. For about a half mile, I was in last place, 38th to 39th, or somewhere in there. I may have been 40th at one time. After the mile and after we went up the hill for the first time, I started moving up. My coach was telling me '37th, 32nd.' I was just kind of moving my way up. On the second loop, I started passing guys who I recognized from the south. I thought, 'Uh oh, maybe I'm just having a decent race.' I was pretty far back, but I thought maybe I'd be able to do well. My coach told me that I was in 17th place and I saw the guy ahead of me and caught him. I just tried to get to the finish line. I was really pleased with my performance there. I think I ended up being the second guy from the south. I really wasn't supposed to be there. My goal was to prove that I really belonged out there. I wasn't going to be [in contention] for the win, honestly, but I wanted to go out there and prove that I could run with these guys. It was a great experience to learn how that race goes. It's so true that you have to run your own race out there and not get caught up in it. If you just stick to what you've talked about doing and execute it well, you can definitely run well.

MR: The South region has not done that well out in San Diego. Do you have a sense as to why this is, and [do you think] the course is tough?
SR: I think there are a couple of courses around North Carolina that are like Balboa Park's course. It's a lot different from McAlpine for sure. I know a lot of people attribute it to the fact that [the regional is held on] such a fast course. I agree. I think sometimes the speed guys make it out of South. A lot of it is that the South guys tend to take it out pretty hard at nationals because that is what they are used to after running Foot Locker South. The guys that go out too hard get caught up and towards the end of the race they are just dying because the course doesn't allow them to maintain once they go out so hard, like they can at McAlpine.

Whether not it's because speed guys are going or not, I'm not real sure. I think it's a strength course which plays to my advantage, or my strength. I know each year everyone thinks that this will be the South's year. I don't know if the South has done really well, but I hope that we can start something new and do well. I think that the talent is there. It's the mentality going into nationals that's the problem. That might be another [factor].

MR: You've done well at national championships in the last year. Did you expect to have that kind of success in track last year?
SR: I felt like I was a lot stronger after cross country. Obviously going to Foot Locker boosts your confidence, if nothing else. I ran with the best guys and thought I could follow up with good track season and run on a national level. As far as time goals, the 4:08 mile was really a surprise. I knew I was in good shape, but I didn't know if I was ready for that. I was really pleased. The two-mile, I was happy with. I was hoping to maybe go a little lower in the 8:50s, but I couldn't be happier with the times.

The thing that I was really happy about was being able to run in some big competitions like Arcadia and Penn Relays for the first time. I was fourth at Arcadia and third at Penn Relays. Being in those competitions helps so much, just learning how those races are run and how to be relaxed and do your own thing and still do well. I think the difference between last year and this year is that last year everything was so new. I just tried to go in there and do well. I knew there were guys in there that were probably better, but I went in there and tried to do my best. This year I hope to be able to go and try to be in position to win. I've been able to improve my strength and I feel more confident. I hope to go out there and be in more of a position to dictate the race than having the race dictated to me and trying to react. We'll see what happens.

MR: From the reports, it sounded like you looked very strong. What was your training like this summer?
SR: I took two weeks off after Nike Outdoor Nationals. Around the middle of July, I started building. I don't do that many miles. I probably average 60-65 miles [per week]. [They're] solid, quality miles, but nothing too high. I did that for a good while. I did a few tempo runs before Great American, but we really haven't done too many workouts, so that's what I've been really pleased about. I was really surprised to be able to run that fast of a time especially so early in the season. I have not done too much. It speaks a lot about how much my strength has improved. That's exciting to me, but it's important to note that my goals are in December. We've got to keep going and put in the work to get there.

MR: What are your college choices?
SR: I'm a little behind on that. A few weeks ago I went to Indiana for a visit. This weekend after Wendy's, I'm going to Georgetown. A few schools I've been talking to are the University of Virginia, Wisconsin, and Oregon. There are some others, but those are the main ones. I'm trying to narrow those down a little so I can focus. I'm going to sign late. I'm involved with my school's student council, so it's hard coming and going. We have a couple of events that we do, like Homecoming. I'll be able to take visits in the winter, which will extend the process. I don't know if that is a good idea or not, but it something that I'll have to do.

MR: Those are some good schools. Did you ever expect to be in the spot that you are in?
SR: I feel very blessed. I'm a very religious person and I feel really blessed for my situation. God has blessed me with these talents. I try to give Him the glory and try to work hard with what he has given to me. It's because of the coaching, family support, and a lot of other reasons that I've been [able to keep] at it. I did Junior Olympics when I was young. I've been running for a long time. I felt I had some of the [qualities necessary] to be able to run well. It's coming together well. To some degree, I'm a little surprised.

MR: Can you tell me how you got started in running?
SR: I started in fifth grade. Junior Olympics got me started competitively in running, and in middle school, that's what kept me running. That's was, in general, what started my love for the sport.

MR: Did you have success right off the bat?
SR: Fortunately, yes sir. I started off in the midget division of the Junior Olympics. In fact, I started that spring and that summer I was able to win the 3,000m midget national title. I guess that was good because I was very naïve. Then, as time went on, I was never able to win another championship. For a couple of years I was younger than everyone and then when I was older, I got third place. That's the highest I placed. I started off with some success and then I was pretty average. Nothing amazing or anything and that's what kind of led to my high school running.

MR: In basketball crazy North Carolina, when did you realize that wasn't your thing?
SR: Thing is, in middle school, I played on the basketball team. I was trying to do both. Sometimes, in the winter, I would go to basketball practice right after school and then I would go to do workouts at NC State's track at 6:00 or 7:00 at night, when it was dark. That was pretty crazy. I played basketball all through 10th grade. I played in church and YMCA leagues. After 10th grade, my dad said that if you want to focus on running, you might want to cut basketball out. In 10th grade, I was playing a pick-up basketball game one day. I went up to block this guy's shot and came down, fell back, and broke my wrist really badly. I had to have surgery. After that, I knew that basketball had to go on the shelf for a little while. I still play, but as far as playing hard core, I need to be really careful. You have to start weighing the risks.

MR: Were you a good ball player and what position did you play?
SR: I was decent. In eighth grade, I was able to start for our team. I wasn't amazing, but I thought I was pretty competitive and worked really hard. I played point guard, so I was the ball handler.

MR: Is Broughton High School known for its cross country?
SR: No sir. They had some success in the 70s, but since then, nothing great has come out of Broughton. We're known for our basketball — Shavlik Randolph who was at Duke and went professional last year. Golf, soccer and tennis are really big here. Cross country has atrophied. We're trying to change that around with our coaches, David Christian and Ricky Brookshire.

MR: What are some of your extracurricular activities, outside of cross country?
SR: I'm really involved with student council. I'm on the senior executive cabinet. I'm in National Honor Society, which is pretty basic. I'm President of the Teenage Republican Club here, which I take pretty seriously. I love politics. It obviously speaks to what party I'm associated with. I'm also really involved with my church. I'm in my youth group and choir and what not. That combination with running, school, and hanging out with friends, keeps things pretty interesting, that's for sure.

(Interview conducted September 29, 2005 and posted October 13, 2005)