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Jim
Ryun's sophomore class record in the mile lasted more than three
decades. Alan Webb's new mark of 4:06.94 survived just four years,
however, as Jeff See of Ohio became the fastest tenth grader in
prep history with a 4:06.07 clocking at the adidas Outdoor Track
& Field Championships last June. Running on the same track where
Webb eclipsed Ryun's record, See finished third behind Sam Vasquez
(4:03.87) and Chris Solinsky (4:05.30) in a race that saw seven
athletes crack 4:08. See's record run came just one week after he
knocked seven seconds of his 1,600m best with a 4:06.81 win at the
Ohio state meet.
Although
See's record run came as a surprise to many, his freshman cross
country and track campaigns clearly hinted at the young Middletown
native's potential. As a ninth grader, See finished 12th at a high
powered Ohio state cross country meet, broke the national freshman
record for the mile indoors with a time of 4:22.62, and posted an
outdoor 1,600m best of 4:15. A case of mononucleosis slowed See
last fall, but after a record-breaking track season, the 6'0"
junior could be among the contenders to succeed Solinsky as the
Foot Locker Cross Country Champion this December. See, who ranks
third on the all-time Ohio list in the mile (Jon Zishka has the
top mark at 4:03.85), also owns personal bests of 50.3 (400), 1:54
(800) and 9:31 (3,200).
MensRacing.com:
You garnered quite a bit of attention nationally by running a big
PR of 4:06 to win the Ohio state meet. Were you surprised to get
that far below 4:10 at that point?
Jeff
See:
Yeah, we were thinking that 4:10 would probably win. It just ended
up being way faster than we all thought it would be.
MR:
Coming off the state meet, did you feel ready to run that fast again
at the Adidas meet? Were you surprised to drop another couple seconds?
JS:
I was pretty prepared to go that fast again. I was hoping that I
could at least maintain it. That whole week after state, I felt
really good. So I was pretty confident that I could probably do
the same thing again — and hopefully a little better.
MR:
Having had a couple months to reflect on the performance, does it
still surprise you that you were up there at the front in one of
the best prep miles ever?
JS:
Yeah, I really had no idea I would be able to. It was really exciting
the whole time. Going in to the track season, I never imagined running
with those guys. I was just focused on inside the state. And once
state came, everything was so surprising to me.
MR:
How did the race play out for you?
JS:
It was pretty much in favor of the way I like to race. We went out
a little bit slower, around 2:04. So, I knew that if I was going
to go under my time from state, then it would be a kickers race,
which is what I like. Throughout the first couple of laps, I was
hanging back. I didn't really feel as good as I hoped the first
lap, and then the third lap, I started to feel really good and found
myself slowly moving up on people and passing them. By the fourth
lap, I had enough left that I could start my kick early. I probably
started a little too early. If I would have waited until a little
later, maybe I would have been a little closer to Solinsky. Still,
with his kick, I might not have been able to catch him. But it would
have been a little more decent [finish].
MR:
How did it feel to break Webb's record and pass Bob Kennedy on the
all-time Ohio list?
JS:
It feels really good. It's something I have to appreciate, but I
also have to keep working hard so I can continue to improve. But,
it's definitely a great feeling to experience, knowing what they
did later on in life — especially Kennedy.
MR:
Is Kennedy still a pretty big name in Ohio as far as comparing marks?
JS:
Yeah, whenever you hear anybody talking about great distance running,
you'll hear the name Kennedy and about how amazing he was. He's
pretty much the talk of the state still, when you talk about really
fast times.
MR:
How's your training gone this summer?
JS:
It's been pretty good. I took a few of weeks off (after Adidas)
because I was ready to be done with track by then. I'm not upping
the mileage too much. I'm doing about 60 miles a week. I've hit
that for a few weeks. We've only had one meet — just a starting-the-season
meet, but so far it's going well. I'm really focused on the team.
We're looking pretty good this year and hopefully we can win state
together. (Editor's Note: Shortly after this interview was conducted,
See finished fourth in the Midwest Meet of Champions, running 15:39
for 5k.)
MR:
How does what you're doing now training-wise now compare with what
you were doing during the summer a year ago?
JS:
I'm definitely a lot stronger. I feel like I've improved a lot.
Last year, my mileage wasn't up that high. I was probably running
around 50 miles a week, and even with that, I was staring to feel
pretty tired, and that's not a whole lot of mileage. I can definitely
tell I've improved a lot from last year to this year.
MR:
When did the mono come on last fall? How big an impact did it have
on your season?
JS: The
whole season was way less than I expected. The night before my first
meet I had a fever of 104, so obviously I didn't run that week.
The next week when I did start to run — and this was right
at the beginning of the year — I could tell not everything
was right. I just wasn't feeling like I should have been all season.
It got really bad toward the end of the season, during conference.
I just wasn't running like myself. It was a really bad feeling.
MR:
Obviously you had a great year on the track, but having had your
cross country season derailed, is it a little bit harder to set
goals for this season?
JS:
It is pretty hard to think about where I should be right now, because
I can't really count on last season as an indicator. It's hard to
convert track to cross country. I'm hoping to be really low 15s
by the end of the year, but I have no idea what could happen, so
I'm just going to let what happens happen and see how things work
out
MR:
As you mentioned earlier, your team is pretty strong (ranked 16th
in the nation by The Harrier). Are there any guys that are capable
of running with you or are you pretty much on your own for the harder
workouts?
JS:
The other three guys in our top four are all usually right with
me. In workouts, they're with me the whole workout no matter how
hard it is. In race situations, it all comes down to the last half
mile or so, and that's when I kind of have an edge. But the whole
race, up to that point, they're really close to me. Those guys are
looking great right now. Our five through seven are also doing well.
They're a little ways back but, they're looking too.
MR:
Last year your team won the seeded race at the Great American Cross
Country Festival and this year you're scheduled to compete in the
meet's Race of Champions. How do you approach that kind of race
given that you'll be running against some of the nation's top teams
and individuals but knowing too that the state and regional meets
are still several weeks away?
JS:
Yeah, it is kind of hard to really focus on [Great American]. It's
in the middle of the season, and you know you have a long way to
go after that. But it is really important to us because we want
to do well there. So, I guess the way we're going about it is just
run as well as [we] can but don't worry about it if we don't run
the best races of our lives. It's kind of just to have fun and see
where we are compared with some of the best teams in the nation.
I know the other teams also aren't peaking for the meet.
MR:
According to The Harrier, Ohio is one of the nation's stronger
states this year. Is it looking pretty tight as far as the team
race?
JS:
It should be. There's a team from around Columbus that's pretty
good — they have John Ealy (the 12th-place finisher at Midwest
Regional in 2002). There are two schools down in the Cincinnati
area that are always really good. Those two teams are just so powerful
every year that you can never really count them out. It's looking
like we have a chance to win state, but we definitely have to stay
healthy.
MR:
Every year it seems the southern part of the state — the Cincinnati-area
in particular — produces a couple of the country's better teams
as well as some top individuals. Is there anything that you've seen
that might explain that?
JS:
[Cross country] is getting really popular. I think that's the main
thing. A lot of guys in the southwest region are really interested,
everybody goes out for it. Other than that, I really don't know.
It's not a very hilly area or anything. It's kind of surprised me
how many good runners have come from this area and from the state.
I think it's because [cross country has] become popular here and
it's something a lot people like to do.
MR:
How did you get into running initially?
JS:
My brother Scott — he's a few years older than me — ran
in junior high and ran through high school. He was really good,
so we would always go to his meets and things. That always inspired
me to think about running. Once I hit seventh grade, I figured I
would try it out. I've been with [my teammates] now since seventh
grade. We were really good back then, in junior high. That made
me really excited about running and that's basically where it started,
my first cross country season in seventh grade... We were just having
fun. We didn't do much mileage or anything. We were all just athletic,
that's the way our whole team is, and that's why we were so good
when we were little.
MR:
Do you do any other sports?
JS:
Not any more. I used to play basketball in junior high, but once
I hit high school — after cross country my freshman year —
I decided just to focus on running.
MR:
Do you think of yourself more as a 800/mile type or more of a 1,600/3,200
runner?
JS:
I would say more 800/mile. I've only run the 3,200 a few times.
MR:
Do you plan on working on the longer distance during the spring
or will you stick with the shorter events?
JS:
My coach was talking about it a little bit. He wants to train me
a little bit to see what I can do in the 32. So, next year it will
probably be 16 and 32 mostly.
MR:
What distance do you see yourself running in college? Any plans
to move up or have you not thought that far ahead?
JS:
Right now, the way it's looking, I would like to stay around 1,500
meters because I love that distance so much; it's just such a perfect
race.
MR:
There is certainly going to be a lot of pressure placed on you in
the next two years. Do you feel ready to deal with it?
JS:
I think so. I have to try to not worry about the pressure too much,
and just have fun with it. I have to keep it fun, otherwise it will
probably get to me and [running] won't be something I like to do
anymore.
MR:
Is there anything else that you think will be key to getting under
4:00 for the mile in high school, other than keeping it fun?
JS:
Obviously I would have to up the mileage a little and training would
be a little different. Physically, I'm just hoping to continually
improve. Mentally, I think I'm ready for the challenge. I'm really
excited about the next few seasons. There is pressure to break 4:00,
because people are saying it possible. But if I don't, I know it's
not the end of my career or anything. It's almost just a bonus,
and I'm sure once I get closer to the time when I'm really training
for it, then things will get pretty exciting.
MR:
When Webb was making headlines back in 2001, were you very aware
of what was going and all the excitement surrounding high school
running?
JS:
He was the same grade as my brother, so Scott was really interested.
He videotaped some stuff and we watched it. I was in eighth grade,
so I still wasn't real aware of what was going on in high school
and how good Webb really was. But then, when he ran 3:53, I actually
thought about it and I was really amazed at what he had done —
3:53 that's pretty incredible. It's inspiring.
MR:
Would you be interested in running the mile at the Pre Classic should
you be presented with the opportunity?
JS:
Definitely. It would be really cool to run with some professional
guys who are so fast. I think it would be a great experience. If
the opportunity comes up I'll probably take it.
(Interview
posted 9/8/2003.)
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