2001
presented by

Gallery of Finalists:
Northeast
Boys

[Andy was seriously injured in an auto accident near his home
and will not run in the national finals.]

4. William (Mint) Henk

Mint says:

1. How did it feel when the race was over and you realized how you had finished and were going to Orlando? Was the placing a surprise, or something you were shooting for all year?

(This is Mint's confession) I felt pressure coming into the race because I had been training for nationals all season. After crossing the line I was glad to have it over.

2. Was Foot Locker Regional your best race of the year? If so, tell us about what made it so. If not, tell us about your best race of the year.

I feel that my best race was New Englands. I was surprised to see that fast a time. The race really went smoothly.

3. Tell us about your coach(es) and what were the key training elements that helped you improve and get to Orlando.

My coach's daughter recently won NCAA XC, so my belief in him is high and always has been.

4. What are your goals Saturday? What kind of race will it take for you to get All-American (or win, whatever your goal is)?

This is my last high school XC race, so I am taking it very seriously and would like to beat my PR. Where that places me, I'm not sure.

5. Who are the most important influences in your running life (family, coach, friends, etc.)? Who is your favorite elite (HS, college or pro) runner?

Life and those I've met.

6. What are your biggest interests outside of running?

Life and happiness.

Date	Name	School	Event	Perf	Notes	Meet
2001-11-24	Henk, Mint B(2002 VT)	U-32	5K-XC	#4 15:35	5k - Van Cortlandt Pk, NYC	NY FL NE Seeded
2001-11-10	Henk, William B(2002 VT)	U-32	5K-XC	#1 15:12	5k - Goddard Pk, Warwick RI	RI New England Ch
2001-10-27	Henk, William B(2002 VT)	U-32	5K-XC	#1 15:52	3.15m - Thetford Academy	VT State Meet
2001-10-06	Henk, William B(2002 VT)	U-32	5K-XC	#1 15:49	3.15m - Thetford Acad	VT Woods Trail Run
2001-09-22	Henk, William B(2002 VT)	U-32	5K-XC	#8 15:32	5k - some hills, grass, hot,	SC GreatAm ROC
2001-09-15	Henk, William B(2002 VT)	U-32	5K-XC	#1 15:55	5k - Catamount Center	VT Essex Inv

5. Brian Dalpiaz NY

Date	Name	School	Event	Perf	Notes	Meet
2001-11-24	Dalpiaz, Brian B(2003 NY)	Sayville	5K-XC	#5 15:37	5k - Van Cortlandt Pk, NYC	NY FL NE Seeded
2001-11-17	Dalpiaz, Brian B(2003 NY)	Sayville	5K-XC	#1 15:45	5k - Bowdoin Park	NY Federation Meet
2001-11-10	Dalpiaz, Brian B(2003 NY)	Sayville	5K-XC	#1 15:55	5k - Elma Meadows	NY PHSAA Class B
2001-10-27	Dalpiaz, Brian B(2003 NY)	Sayville	5K-XC	#1 15:46	5k -	NY Sections
2001-06-16	Dalpiaz, Brian B(2003 NY)	Sayville	B-2Mile	#14 9:20.17	-	NC AOC nationals
2001-06-09	Dalpiaz, Brian B(2003 NY)	Sayville	B-2Mile	#4 9:13.67	c -	NY State Meet
2001-04-28	Dalpiaz, Brian B(2003 NY)	Sayville	B-3000	#4 8:32.89	-	PA Penn Relays fin
2001-03-11	Dalpiaz, Brian B(2003 NY)	Sayville	B-2Mile	#5 9:20.68	N: - @NY-Armory	NY NSIC
2001-01-20	Dalpiaz, Brian B(2003 NY)	Sayville	B-3000	#1 8:45.77	N: -	CT Yale Inv
2001-01-06	Dalpiaz, Brian B(2003 NY)	Sayville	B-2Mile	#1 9:21.27	N: c - @ NY Armory	NY Hispanic Games

6. Marc Pelerin NJ

Marc says:

1. How did it feel when the race was over and you realized you had finished in the top eight and were going to Orlando? Was it a surprise, or something you were shooting for all year?

When I crossed the line there was a ton of weight lifted off of me. I've never felt so relieved and happy at the same time. I was definitely shooting for this all year.

2. Was Foot Locker Regional the best race of your year? If so, tell us about what made it so. If not, tell us about your best race of the year.

I think Foot Locker was my best race. I hung with the leaders for as long as I could. I knew what it felt like just missing it last year; this year was just so special.

3. Tell us about your coach(es) and what were the key training elements that helped you improve and get to Orlando.

My coaches, Shaklee and Callinan, have been awesome for me this year and every year. They've geared my training just for Nationals. They knew all along I was going to make it. They've just been so supportive of me the whole time.

4. What are your goals Saturday? What kind of race will it take for you to get a top All-American spot?

My goals for Saturday are just to run my race. I don't have a place I want to get, even though a top 10 would be awesome. I just want to run a smart race and be around the 14:50's. I feel if I'm around there I'll be all right. It's going to take an awful lot to get an All-american spot. There are so many tough guys. Everyone is gunning for those spots.

5. Who are the most important influences in your running life (family, coach, friends, etc.)? Who is your favorite elite (HS, college or pro) runner?

The most influential people in my running life would have to be my two coaches, and anyone really who races with heart and tenacity. I look up to runners who try and take the race from the gun, rather than the ones that steal it in the last 100. There are always exceptions, though! My favorite runner I think right now has to be Ritz. He runs with such heart. He goes from the gun and he pushes all the time. He has the heart of a champion, and that's how he races.

6. What are your biggest interests outside of running?

My biggest interests outside of running are ... I don't have much time outside of running, but if I was to have a life outside running, it would probably be hanging out with my friends or listening to music.

Date	Name	School	Event	Perf	Notes	Meet
2001-11-24	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	5K-XC	#6 15:40	5k - Van Cortlandt Pk, NYC	NY FL NE Seeded
2001-10-27	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	5K-XC	# 15:25	5k -	NJ Sectionals
2001-10-06	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	5K-XC	#1 16:00	5k - Holmdel Park	NJ Shore Coaches
2001-09-22	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	5K-XC	#13 15:48	5k - some hills, grass, hot,	SC GreatAm ROC
2001-06-06	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	B-2Mile	#2 9:18.89	c -	NJ Meet of Champs
2001-02-07	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	B-800	#4 1:59.90	N: - @NY-Armory	NJ Metropolitan
2001-01-27	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	B-2Mile	#2 9:43.71	N: c -	NJ Group 4
2000-11-25	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	5K-XC	#9 15:50	C: 5k - cold - VCPark	NY FL NE Seeded
2000-11-18	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	5K-XC	#2 16:02	C: 5k - Holmdel Park	NJ All Group
2000-11-11	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	5K-XC	# 16:05	C: 5k - Holmdel Park	NJ Group Championshi
2000-10-07	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	5K-XC	#2 15:59	C: 5k - Holmdel Park	NJ Shore Coaches Inv
2000-09-23	Pelerin, Marc B(2002 NJ)	Cherokee	5K-XC	#18 15:51	B: 5k - hot, humid, some mud	NC GreatAm-ROC

7. Tony Truax NH

Date	Name	School	Event	Perf	Notes	Meet
2001-11-24	Truax, Tony B(2002 NH)	Dover	5K-XC	#7 15:41	5k - Van Cortlandt Pk, NYC	NY FL NE Seeded
2001-11-10	Truax, Tony B(2002 NH)	Dover	5K-XC	#2 15:20	5k - Goddard Pk, Warwick RI	RI New England Ch
2001-10-20	Truax, Tony B(2002 NH)	Dover	5K-XC	#1 15:21	5k -	RI Brown Inv
2001-09-29	Truax, Tony B(2002 NH)	Dover	5K-XC	#1 15:49	5k -	NH Manchester Inv
2001-09-22	Truax, Tony B(2002 NH)	Dover	5K-XC	#1 15:55	5k -	NH Bobcat Inv
2001-09-08	Truax, Tony B(2002 NH)	Dover	5K-XC	#1 16:05	5k -	NH Bishop Guertin

8. Ben Stern MD

Ben says:

1. How did it feel when the race was over and you realized you had finished in the top eight and were going to Orlando? Was it a surprise, or something you were shooting for all year?

As I finished the race, I actually thought that I was in ninth place. From 800 meters out I thought that I had to catch two guys ahead of me. I only caught one and figured that I just missed it. Apparently the people yelling my place during the race miscounted, and thankfully so! Actually, at the moment I crossed the finish line I was too tired for disappointment to register, but immediately after I crossed the line someone told me I was eighth. I had to tell myself to stay calm, thinking that he, too, might have miscounted. But after I was ushered into the tent, and I counted seven guys, it was at the same time incredibly thrilling and a great relief.

2. Was Foot Locker Regional the best race of your year? If so, tell us about what made it so. If not, tell us about your best race of the year.

The Foot Locker regional was definitely my best race of the year. However, it was not nearly my fastest. The reason why it was my best, when at other courses I ran faster or placed higher, was because it was the culmination of several long and short term plans. My freshman year I set as a goal for myself qualifying for nationals. My plan was to run the seeded race my junior and senior years, and hopefully make it at least once. My junior year was a disaster, but I took what I learned from that and used it to help me qualify this year. Which brings me to my second plan, a slightly more short-term one. At the start of the year I sat down with my coach and told him that I wanted to structure my whole cross country season around Foot Locker. With this in mind, we worked backwards and realized that for me to be at my best for Foot Locker I would have to sacrifice being very sharp earlier in the season. I felt that it was worth it, though it was tough running slower then last year at some of the invitationals we went to. It paid off in the end and it seemed fitting that my race plan was almost like a metaphor for the season: I started off slow, but then in the end when I needed to be strong, I was.

3. Tell us about your coach(es) and what were the key training elements that helped you improve and get to Orlando.

My coach is brilliant. The way he structured my training really had me peaking at the right time. Early in the season, I was still training like it was summer: base mileage nothing too fast and no speed workouts. We gradually introduced speed work into the program as the mileage began to drop. I really didn't set foot on a track until halfway through the season. Then in the last few weeks before Foot Locker we were doing two hard track workouts a week and a long run on the weekend; everything else was steady recovery. Probably the thing my coach does best though, is make sure my head is on straight. He's like a master psychologist.
The week of the regional he could tell that I was nervous (In fact the reason I was nervous was because of how fast the race normally goes through the mile. I got caught up in that my junior year and later died on the hills.) As if sensing this he told me, "Ben what would happen if you ran a 15:30 at Van Cortland?" I said that I would definitely qualify and possibly win. He said, "What pace does that work out to be?" And I said about 5 minutes per mile. He said, "Think about that. You don't have to go out in 4:30. Hold back a little."
From that conversation on, I went into the race with a totally different mentality. I went through the mile in about 4:55, and was somewhere around 50th place, but just as he said without even speeding up I was flying by people. By the time I got to two miles I was in contention to qualify and I really hadn't started racing yet. Just as my coach worked it out, my race really started at two miles, and while I didn't run a 15:30, I did qualify which was the real goal.

4. What are your goals Saturday? What kind of race will it take for you to get All-American?

I am really excited for this race. I qualified in eighth, but I don't feel that is indicative of my strength. For me the whole goal was "get to Florida and then show 'em what you got." I plan on running a more aggressive race. I'll probably try my come from behind strategy again, but begin to press somewhere closer to half way rather then two miles. Running as somewhat of an underdog there isn't much pressure on me and I'm really eager to get out there and surprise a lot of people.

5. Who are the most important influences in your running life (family, coach, friends, etc.)? Who is your favorite elite (HS, college or pro) runner?

The biggest influence on my running career has been my peers and competitors. Getting to race guys like Alan Webb, and many other great runners, it really forces you to push yourself that much harder. These guys are your age and in your races it makes you get over your excuses and work harder.

6. What are your biggest interests outside of running?

I really like just hanging out with my friends. We have a very eclectic group of people on the team so we get into discussion about everything from Led Zeppelin to world politics. It's a lot of fun just being around such an interesting group of people. I also play the guitar and direct short movies on digital video.

(Ben said afterwards, "Thanks for actually sitting through all that. Not many people at school care all that much about my race or they just don't understand.")

Date	Name	School	Event	Perf	Notes	Meet
2001-11-24	Stern, Ben B(2002 MD)	Georgetown Day	5K-XC	#8 15:43	5k - Van Cortlandt Pk, NYC	NY FL NE Seeded
2001-10-20	Stern, Ben B(2002 MD)	Georgetown Day	5K-XC	#3 15:54	5k -	MD Georgetown Prep
2001-10-13	Stern, Ben B(2002 MD)	Georgetown Day	5K-XC	#2 15:47	5k - Bull Run Park	VA Glory Days Inv
2001-04-28	Stern, Ben B(2002 MD)	Georgetown Day	B-3000	#5 8:36.67	-	PA Penn Relays fin
2001-03-11	Stern, Ben B(2002 MD)	Georgetown Day	B-Mile	#17 4:25.41	N: - @PG-Co	MD NIC
2000-11-04	Stern, Ben B(2002 MD)	Georgetown Day	5K-XC	#1 15:27	A: 5k -	MD WA Ind Schools
2000-10-21	Stern, Ben B(2002 MD)	Georgetown Day	5K-XC	#1 15:43	A: 5k -	MD Georgetown Prep

[Because of 3rd place finisher Andy Weilacher's injury in an auto accident, Sullivan will run in the national finals in Orlando.]

10. Andrew Pitts MA

Date	Name	School	Event	Perf	Notes	Meet
2001-11-24	Pitts, Andrew B(2003 MA)	Southwick	5K-XC	#10 15:59	5k - Van Cortlandt Pk, NYC	NY FL NE Seeded
2001-11-17	Pitts, Andrew B(2003 MA)	Southwick	5K-XC	#1 15:28	5k - Tufts Farm Course	MA All-State Div 1
2001-11-10	Pitts, Andrew B(2003 MA)	Southwick	5K-XC	#1 15:57	5k - Northfield Mtn	MA Western MIAA
2001-10-08	Pitts, Andrew B(2003 MA)	Southwick	5K-XC	#1 15:48	5k - 60s, rain	MA Bay State Inv
2001-06-02	Pitts, Andrew B(2003 MA)	Southwick-Tolland	B-Mile	#17 4:35.50		MA All State

Midwest Indoor Track Classic