***2006 DyeStatCal
Featured Meets***
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March 24, 2006
Exeter/Monarch Relays Meet
Info
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Rylan Hunt (Aptos)
Frosh Distance Star from CCS
May, 2006
Doug Speck
Photo by Hank Lawson
Frosh Rylan Hunt wins the CCS Top 8 1600 at
4:21.39
He's quickly becoming one of the top frosh runners in
recent state history, with a fine cross-country season that blended
into track and has really taken off!! Frosh Rylan Hunt of Aptos
started off the spring with an impressive 9:28.5 at the Doc Raymond
Relays in a "team" 3200 race, which opened some eyes, and since has
won the CCS Top 8 1600 at 4:21.39, and this past week raced 1:55.62
for 800 meters in the Alisal Invitational. Rylan took some time
to talk to us back after the 9:28.5, with his running continuing to
steadily improve since that time. His "first year approach" to
things as a frosh runner is kind of refreshing, with one sensing a
special spirit behind the fine racing of this "already arrived" star
under the fine direction of Dan Gruber and Bill Hotchkiss.
Rylan
1) What were your accomplishments this past Fall Cross-Country season
for Aptos HS?
I was third runner on my team untill the very end of the year, when
one
of our runners unfortunately peaked early, and I passed him. Our team
won our league meet (SCCAL), which was a huge surprise, and I was
second behind my teamate Walter Mayeda, who is a pretty cool kid and
one
good runner. Then, at CCS, our team was second, and individually, I
was
5th behind Walter. In state our team placed 19th, and I placed something
like 64th or 65th
2) How fast did you expect to run your 3200 leg in the recent Doc
Raymond Relays where you led off your team with a 9:28.5?
I really wanted to win, and I thought that that might bring me to
something just sub 9:40.
3) What sports did you do along the way before high school?
I played soccer for about six years, then realized that I was not
very
good, and that I was better at cross country. I also played volleyball
in junior high, and I love the sport, but it happens to be at the same
time as track, so I cannnot play for the school. A really long time
ago I
played basketball.
4) How much running did you do between the end of cross-country and
the start of this track season over the winter?
I was going to take a 2 week break, but the surf was really good,
and
my sister said that when she was a freshman she took about four weeks
off, so I started running about a week into the break, and then started
running most days after Christmas
5) Was the 9:28.5 basically a solo effort with no one around you
during most of the race, or did you have company with others from
other teams close during the running?
Oh god no. I stayed behind Willow Glen's Mohhamd Abdalla and Marcos
Corona. On the seventh lap Marcos and I started pushing for the first
place spot. I passed him and he passed me back, then I passed him back
so that I could have the inside lane starting into the 8th lap. It
was
a full on surge before the eighth lap even started, and by the backside
stretch, we were both almost full on sprinting. I really wanted to
win,
so I pushed a little faster, and got a step or two ahead of him before
the turn, and something happened, and I pulled away and won by about
12
seconds, so only the very last 200 meters I was alone.
6) How much faster do you think you can run this spring in the 3200 or
1600 (where we understand you have run 4:25.04)?
I don't know. I like the 1600 a lot, and I want to improve in it,
but I
don't want to set goals too high, for fear of working overly hard to
reach it, and injuring myself. I have a lot of respect for my coaches
Dan Gruber and Bill Hotchkiss, and I am going to do the work outs that
they give me, and see what happens. I figure they both have way more
experience than I do, so I will listen to them.
7) Why all the good young runners at Aptos at this time? (Walter
Mayeda, fellow frosh Dayne Gradone, yourself, etc.)
Your guess is as good as mine. Our coaches know how to deal with young
runners, but that isn't all. I guess we are lucky. it's really cool
having the other runners that I run with in my grade or really close,
so we can talk about things that happen in our year, and not completely
lose the other guy, or have to constantly explain who we are talking
about. I'm stoked to have this team, and it makes for really fun
frosh-soph meets and frosh-soph relays. They are also both really cool
kids, and fun to talk to. They both have really good advice on things,
and are both really pretty smart, even if sometimes one does say some
things that he obviously didn't think about before he said them.
8) What advice would you have for someone coming out for distance
running for the first time this track season?
I would tell them that the most important thing is the mental edge
in
races. It is the only thing that really can keep you going when you
are
hurting in a race or a work out, and it is one of the things that turns
good runners into awesome runners. The other thing is your work ethic,
which I guess falls under the same category. If you work hard enough,
you will see results, whether you where naturally gifted or not. Also,
I would tell them that what I have always found to be the biggest
mental fuel in a race is to think about something that you really care
about, whether it is taking one for the team in a relay race, or if
it's something a bit more personal. If you really care about what you
are thinking about, I guarantee it will push you like no other.
Thanks Rylan - continued fine running and enjoy the surfing!
Doug Speck
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