Interval Session #3 - Trevor Dunbar The son of Marcus Dunbar--one of the best runners to ever emerge from Alaska--Trevor Dunbar is rapidly forging his own reputation as an all-timer in the Last Frontier State. Toiling well outside the national spotlight, Trevor first came to our attention as a sophomore, leading his Northwest-ranked Kodiak Bears to a 4A state title with his individual win, then taking down several higher-ranked teams in a two-week post-season jaunt to Oregon. Although the Kodiak team failed to qualify for the 2006 Nike Team Nationals, Trevor went on to Foot Locker West, where he finished 22nd (fourth underclassman and top sophomore). This season he's won every race he's entered, right up to last Saturday's Region III Championships, where he slashed 32 seconds off the course record with his 16:06 clocking. Up next: A defense of the individual and team titles at the 4A Alaska State Meet this weekend. DyeStat assistant editor Dave Devine hops a plane to Kodiak Island, straps on the bear bells, and heads out for an Alaskan fartlek with the best high school harrier you've never heard of.

1) How is it living and training in Alaska? Are there things you like and things you dislike? Do you sometimes feel like the rest of the country forgets about you? Kodiak, Alaska is a nice place to live and train. I'm fortunate to have a great group of guys to train with as well as a lot of family support. Obviously, travel expenses make it hard for me to get down to the lower-48 and race the competition. Seeing race results on Dyestat for some of these big meets kind of bums me out, wondering how I would have fared, but it also lights a fire inside me and makes me hungry to compete. I'm not sure how much respect I get from the rest of the country, but it doesn't bother me. I like being the unknown. 2) Early this season you had an embarrassing mid-race moment while trying to clear the water barrier at the Bartlett Relays. Care to elaborate? Well, the Bartlett Relays is a co-ed 4-person relay where each team member runs 3k. The main focus of attention in the race is a water jump in the last 100 meters. My goal for the water jump was to jump off the hay bales and land with one foot in the water and then hop out. I guess I was too tired or just got lazy because I had a horrible jump on the hay bales and immediately when my foot hit the water I fell on my hands and stomach. When this happened, my shorts came part way off and I gave the large audience quite the show. I ended up having a quick recovery and finished strong, but I don't think that the steeplechase is in my near future. 3) I thought I read somewhere that your dad Marcus is the best high school miler to ever come out of Alaska, and now he's your high school coach. How does that relationship work? Is there pressure to live up to a certain legacy? Are you able to put aside the father/son relationship for coach/athlete, or do they overlap? Actually, he isn't the best high school miler to come out of Alaska, with his 4:17 [high school PR], but he does own the fastest Alaskan time of 4:00.52. So I'm very lucky to have some fast genes and I do my best to keep up with the name. As for the father/son athlete/coach thing I'd say they overlap. I basically train and race how I feel, he just guides me along and gives me his knowledgable words of advice. I also train with him on my easy days (If I feel like running slow). 4) What are some of the myths and/or misconceptions about Alaska that lower-48 folks have, that you'd like to put to rest? First off, no I do not live in an igloo, nor do I wear a parka. Kodiak actually doesn't even get that much snow. I mean sure it's cold but compared to some other places in the state the weather is pretty mild. 5) What are the toughest conditions you've ever gone out for a distance run in, or the hardest training run you've ever had? Snow...temps...wind... bears? I don't have one run in particular, but when the weather gets nasty out, let me tell you, it sucks. The only thing that motivates me when it's 20 degrees outside and gusting winds is the edge that I'll gain over my competitors. As for the bears, I haven't ever run into one, but one of my buddies and ex-teammate Lucas Fried ran into one this summer out on the trails. 6) The high school cross country season in Alaska ends in late September, yet you're someone with aspirations that extend into December. How do you plan your training for such a long period of sharpness? Is it a matter of sustained fitness? A double peak? How do you get ready for Alaska state on September 29th and Foot Locker West on December 1st? Personally I believe it is all about dedication. The base training over the summer, the long runs, it all accumulates. The Alaskan high school season is pretty short--only eight weeks long. I leave it to my dad/coach to get the team ready to perform at our best for state. When the season is over most of the team calls it a season, but a few of us stay at it. The last two years the team has gone on an Oregon trip after the season and that works well to bridge the gap between state and FL West. Our post-season plans are still up in the air, but I think maybe an NTN Northwest trip to Boise could be on our horizons. 7) Your older brother Miles has a great name for a runner, but you have the faster PRs. Did you ever try to wrestle him or race him for his name? Haha, idk. He has a good twenty pounds on me, if I was going to wrestle him. I'm just a skinny 130-pounder. I've never thought about racing him for his name, that just seems weird. He does have a great name and I wouldn't want to steal his identity. Although, if I was in the market for a name change and wanted to follow in my brother's footsteps, I think Kilometer Dunbar has a nice ring. 8) It's Saturday night and the cross country season is finally over. What are you and your friends doing for fun in Kodiak, Alaska? If we can capture the state title there will be some well-deserved celebrating, I'm sure. I'll leave it to the seniors on the team to decide what it is we do. Until then we have one more week to concentrate on the task at hand: Back-to-Back State Championships. Photo courtesy Trevor Dunbar

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