2004 FOOT LOCKER CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Pre-race interview with Scott MacPherson

by Ricky Quintana

Scott MacPherson, click to enlarge. (Photo: Alison Wade/NYRR)

Scott MacPherson, a senior at Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas, finished second at the Foot Locker South Regional.

MensRacing.com: How are you feeling?
Scott MacPherson: Pretty good, just happy to be here.

MR: How does the course look compared to last year?
SM: It's a little muddy in some low places. I guess they've had a lot of rain in the past couple of weeks. It's still going to be fast and fun like last year. I'm looking forward to doing it again.

MR: Do the hills look smaller this year?
SM: Nope, not at all. Maybe bigger [laughs]. We don't have stuff like this in Texas so when we come to these hills, it's a reality check every time we run them.

MR: Have you done anything to prepare for the hills?
SM: I definitely ran more hills this season. I trained on them a little bit more. I did more hill workouts and for a longer time this season. Even all the way through state, because I was peaking for this instead of my state meet.

MR: So, for that 14:34, you weren't peaked yet?
SM: No, actually, I wasn't. I barely came up for that. It was fun. That was a great race and everything went right. That was just a great day.

MR: What will you do differently this year than last?
SM: Last year a lot of the guys that I knew went out fast. I just decided to go with them and it sucked me in early. I'll be a little more conservative, but if the pace isn't where it needs to be, you have to do what you have to do. I have more knowledge about the race in general, so I'm a little more prepared.

MR: Did the South Regional take a lot out of you?
SM: No, not really. I got kind of tight at the end. I don't know if it was the cold or what. I didn't have a kick at all and Andrew [Bumbalough] did, so he got me there. Actually, I took all of last week off because my knee was bothering me. It's better now. It gave me a lot of rest and I should be pretty quick. I'm ready to go.

MR: Any projections on what time is going to win it?
SM: I know it's going to be below 15:00. It's going to be one of the faster ones you've seen in a while, because the guys in this race are all capable of running an amazing times. It's going to take quite a head turner to win. It will be fun. It will be a great race.

MR: In the past couple of races, it has come down to the second time up the big hill. Do you think that will be the case this year?
SM: I think it might play out the same at it has usually. I think when we come around that start line for the second time, that might be where the leaders start to break. The second hill is where the race is either made or lost. You really have to be strong there or you will lose the guys pretty much.

MR: Do you think it is a mental or physical thing with this course?
SM: To this point, you usually you would say it's mental. When you come here and there are 40 guys who all have the same abilities as you, it's who wants it more. It's who's mentally prepared and who's more positive. The course actually has a lot to do with it. That kind of takes some of the mental aspect away because it is so challenging. You have to have both. You have to be physically prepared for the course, but you have to be thinking better than everyone else.

(Interview conducted and posted December 10, 2004)