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Caleb Sarsland, Dickinson State · The Red Banner Race Report

0:01
SPEAKER_02: Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, where we dive into the mindset, miles, and moments that make up NAIA cross-country and track and field.
0:11
SPEAKER_02: I'm your host, Marin, and today's guest is Caleb Sarzland of Dickinson State University in North Dakota.
0:18
SPEAKER_02: Last year as a junior, Caleb saw phenomenal success, dropping his AK personal bets from 25-11 to 24-21.
0:27
SPEAKER_02: He was ranked 33rd going into the 2025 NAI Cross Country National Meet, and he worked his way up into a top 10 finish, running close to his PR to take 9th on a humid Florida day that upended many of the top predictions.
0:41
SPEAKER_02: He continued that success into the track season, taking fourth in the 2026 3K indoor chance, and then seventh in the 10K at the outdoor track and field championship.
0:52
SPEAKER_02: For a runner that had previously never raced at an NAI track championship, Caleb didn't just qualify, he earned a spot on the podium.
1:00
SPEAKER_02: Named a rising star individual in December by NAI Cross Country and Track and Field Central, and now a senior, Caleb has lived up to the hype this fall, and he isn't done yet.
1:11
SPEAKER_02: He was named the Frontier Conference Runner of the Week for the second straight week, which he has now won five times in his career, and the NAI Runner of the Week on September 16th.
1:22
SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast.
1:25
SPEAKER_02: Caleb.
1:26
SPEAKER_02: Hey, how's it going?
1:28
SPEAKER_02: So, congrats on being NAI Runner of the Week.
1:31
SPEAKER_02: That was pretty exciting.
1:33
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, thank you.
1:33
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was pretty exciting.
1:35
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and back-to-back conference runner of the week, too.
1:39
SPEAKER_02: So these are some pretty big accolades that have come pretty early in the season, and it's not even October yet.
1:45
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, it's been it's been a good season so far and kind of just rolling in from uh the spring, I guess.
1:52
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:53
SPEAKER_02: Well, you had a kind of a, I would say, a breakthrough season last year.
1:58
SPEAKER_02: You dropped a ton of time in your cross-country times, and then you were an all-American.
2:04
SPEAKER_02: Um, same for track.
2:07
SPEAKER_02: So what do you think is kind of kick starting this great season for you?
2:13
SPEAKER_02: I mean, was there something last year that kind of shifted in your training or maybe in your mindset that just helped you see some success a lot quicker?
2:22
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so last year we got a new coach and he was kind of a distance expert.
2:27
SPEAKER_00: A lot of people probably know him, Coach Tom Schwartz, and and he just taught me everything I need to know about distance running and and really how to know my body, and and that was kind of the big shift.
2:38
SPEAKER_00: And and I always knew that I had more in the tank.
2:42
SPEAKER_00: I just for I just wasn't able to access it, but uh Coach Schwartz, you know, we increased the mileage and then we did a lot of his workouts and uh he just showed me how to uh learn my body and and use it to uh be as good as I can.
2:57
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I love that.
2:58
SPEAKER_02: You had more in the tank, you just didn't know how to access it.
3:01
SPEAKER_02: That's a great way to put it.
3:03
SPEAKER_02: Well, how did you first get involved in running?
3:07
SPEAKER_02: I mean, how old were you when you first started participating in either cross country or track and field?
3:12
SPEAKER_02: And how did it kind of become something that you got involved in?
3:16
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so uh when I was a seventh grader, uh that's kind of when you got to make the choice around your whether you want to do football or cross country.
3:26
SPEAKER_00: And my mom was pretty anti-football, which looking back, I was very thankful for.
3:31
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, my mom's kind of the one who got me into it as a seventh grader, and and I really just fell in love with the culture of cross-country and the people who are in it.
3:40
SPEAKER_00: It's always a fun group of people, and and I've loved it ever since I was a seventh grader.
3:46
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, that's uh kind of how it goes here, too.
3:49
SPEAKER_02: If you are in sixth grade, there is no football.
3:52
SPEAKER_02: So everybody runs cross-country, and then as soon as you get to seventh grade, you can choose, and that's where uh we see sadly a lot of our runners disappear.
4:01
SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
4:03
SPEAKER_02: Well, is anyone else in your family a runner besides you?
4:07
SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, so my my mom ran in high school and she was an all-state runner for four years, and then I have three younger siblings, and they all ran in high school.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: I'm the oldest, and my other sister, she's a sophomore in college, so she doesn't run anymore in college.
4:24
SPEAKER_00: But my uh brother is a senior, and my uh other sister is a junior in high school, and they they're both running right now.
4:31
SPEAKER_02: So, do you guys get together and ever run when you're all home at the same time?
4:37
SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, we we have before.
4:39
SPEAKER_00: I've went on a couple runs this summer with my brother, and and that was about the only running he did.
4:44
SPEAKER_00: He probably did 10 summer miles this year, but he's got a lot of natural talent, so that's awesome.
4:51
SPEAKER_02: It's nice having people you can share it with.
4:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so cool.
4:56
SPEAKER_02: Well, let's talk about how you decided to call Dickinson State home.
5:01
SPEAKER_02: So, what was it that made you think this might be the place I want to spend my collegiate career and I feel like I fit in here?
5:09
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I I wasn't really sure if I wanted to run in college.
5:13
SPEAKER_00: I just I didn't know if it was gonna be for me.
5:17
SPEAKER_00: I I really enjoyed it during high school, but I didn't know what the college level would look like.
5:22
SPEAKER_00: And I had a couple of buddies that went to NDSU, which is the kind of the big school in North Dakota, along with UND.
5:29
SPEAKER_00: But I kind of decided, you know, I think I want to go somewhere smaller and I'll maybe try running for a year and see if I like it.
5:36
SPEAKER_00: And I'm really glad I picked Dickinson because it's it's just been great.
5:41
SPEAKER_00: It's it's closer to home, even though I don't make it home that much, but um it's it's just small town smaller and uh it's not bad to be a big fish in a smaller pond sometimes, too.
5:54
SPEAKER_02: So I yeah, I agree.
5:56
SPEAKER_02: That's a nice little plus.
5:58
SPEAKER_02: So tell me what you're studying.
5:59
SPEAKER_02: What is your major?
6:01
SPEAKER_00: Uh that that's a loaded question.
6:04
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
6:05
SPEAKER_00: Um so I was education to start, but then I switched to engineering, which I'm I'm finishing my engineering associates this fall, and then I might continue that after I'm done at Dickinson.
6:17
SPEAKER_00: But I'm actually taking up a biology minor now, and I'm hoping to apply to dental school.
6:23
SPEAKER_02: So oh wow.
6:24
SPEAKER_02: Wow, that's a long haul.
6:26
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, you lots of school to go.
6:30
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
6:32
SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm on year four now, but it's gone by really fast.
6:35
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
6:36
SPEAKER_02: Well, I mean, if you're interested in something and you enjoy it, it probably doesn't seem so bad.
6:41
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
6:42
SPEAKER_02: Well, I'm from Michigan and I do not live in the Upper Peninsula, if you're familiar at all with the geography of Michigan, which would probably be more comparable, I'm guessing, to the weather of North Dakota.
6:53
SPEAKER_02: So tell me about what it's like.
6:56
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I'm picturing like freezing windy winters.
7:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
7:02
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
7:02
SPEAKER_02: Tell me what it's like there.
7:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, fairly similar to yeah, probably the Michigan climate, but um we we have no trees and it's always windy.
7:15
SPEAKER_00: Like today was 30 mile an hour winds when we ran outside.
7:18
SPEAKER_00: It it it's it sometimes gets cold in October, is when it usually starts getting cold, but usually January and February is where it gets like, you know, we've had days where it's minus 40 and minus 70 with windshield, you know.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: So but we're we're lucky.
7:38
SPEAKER_00: We got a nice rec center here that we can run on some treadmills.
7:41
SPEAKER_02: So Okay, well that was my next question.
7:44
SPEAKER_02: How do you train when you have window like that?
7:46
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you you just gotta be pretty adaptable, and and and that was one thing that a lot of my coaches have taught me, and and Coach Schwartz too.
7:55
SPEAKER_00: I was uh I was I hated running on treadmills, but uh Coach Schwartz kind of taught me a few things and now I I don't mind it even.
8:03
SPEAKER_02: So do you listen to anything when you're running on a treadmill?
8:08
SPEAKER_00: So last year for Lent I actually gave up um I'm not Catholic, but I I like to kind of join in on that a little bit.
8:16
SPEAKER_00: And I gave up music, which is like the 40 days when it's the coldest, you know.
8:22
SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: So but I don't know, I just my mind just sometimes shuts off when I'm running.
8:28
SPEAKER_00: And it's kinda that's one of the reasons I love running, is it's it's honestly my time away from school and just the busyness, and I and I just enjoy I just enjoy running, I guess.
8:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's a little time to just kind of pie escape and just be quiet and reflect.
8:46
SPEAKER_02: And I'm gonna guess that helps you with your race mentality because you can focus outside of any other required stimulus, I guess.
8:55
SPEAKER_02: You know.
8:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
8:56
SPEAKER_00: And and last year, uh I guess, you know, I last year I trained a lot on my own, just because we we've got some guys that are coming up on the team, but I was just a little different level than a lot of them.
9:10
SPEAKER_00: But this year I got one guy to train with, but I I don't mind running alone either.
9:15
SPEAKER_00: Like some of my buddies are like, oh man, you know, I couldn't I I wouldn't want to run by myself, but and I I really think that's helped me in my race mentality too, because I'm just not worried about what's going on around me.
9:27
SPEAKER_00: I I do my thing and I I know what I'm capable of.
9:30
SPEAKER_00: And if the race gets out at a 420, I'm fine at holding back at, you know, 450 because I know they're gonna come back eventually.
9:39
SPEAKER_02: Well, I'm curious as to your thoughts and reflections on last fall's NAI cross-country championships, because clearly that was considerably warmer than where you live at that point in the year.
9:53
SPEAKER_02: And it was a little more humid than I think some athletes were prepared for.
9:58
SPEAKER_02: And I I I really do think that changed some of the predictions.
10:02
SPEAKER_02: And looking at where you were predicted to finish, you completely blew that out of the water.
10:06
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you were top ten, right?
10:08
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
10:09
SPEAKER_02: I ended up ninth.
10:10
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
10:11
SPEAKER_02: So talk about how you felt going in.
10:13
SPEAKER_02: Like, did the weather affect you, or did you not really give much mind to it?
10:17
SPEAKER_02: Didn't seem to bother you.
10:19
SPEAKER_02: And then, like you said, you don't mind running alone, but there were a lot of people in that race.
10:24
SPEAKER_02: So how did that go for you?
10:27
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I mean, obviously, yeah, it went as well as it could have for me, but I think a couple things with uh the way Coach Schwartz approached stuff was everything was pretty adaptable.
10:40
SPEAKER_00: When once you're in peak condition, I mean, yeah, the humidity and stuff can affect you, but we were down there for a few days and and and really the race morning it wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be, even so that we kinda lucked out on that.
10:56
SPEAKER_00: But I just made sure I was hydrated and and had plenty of that the forty-eight hours previous and and I started that first mile and and then I just kind of fell into my groove and then about mile two is where it was just kind of a flow state, but even even at 5k in the boys' race, it was still just bunched up and packed up.
11:18
SPEAKER_00: But then about after we went up the hill the last time, that's when it started to spread out, and I I just grabbed on and and went with everything I could, and then Coach Schwartz actually taught me a little trick and it was a downhill finish, and I ended up passing three guys because of the trick he taught me, and and so that was pretty cool.
11:38
SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I would just say uh yeah, I was pretty confident going in and and um my goal was top 20, but I I felt good during the race and and uh ran as well as I could have.
11:52
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, well, it definitely seemed to be a great finish.
11:56
SPEAKER_02: Um it was a great race.
11:57
SPEAKER_02: I was there watching and uh just kind of seeing how a lot of the predictions were really upended.
12:04
SPEAKER_02: There were a lot of guys that were ranked to finish in the top 10 that didn't even get all American.
12:09
SPEAKER_00: So I I kind of like being the underdog too.
12:12
SPEAKER_00: I know in high school I was sometimes the underdog because kind of like my brother, I didn't do many summer miles, but I would always come on, you know, at the end of the year.
12:22
SPEAKER_00: But um yeah, it was it was fun, and and my mom and dad and my sister were there too, so it was good having them cheer me on, and yeah, it was just it was it was a good experience.
12:34
SPEAKER_00: So sure.
12:35
SPEAKER_00: And probably they loved the weather, right?
12:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
12:39
SPEAKER_02: And they said they said it was a really spectator-friendly course, which when I jogged it the first time, I was like, there's gonna be no fans back in the trees, but they they were so yeah, it was actually almost as fun to watch the spectators run as it was to watch the race because there were those you know straightaways where you guys would come down kind of where that bridge part was at the finish area.
13:02
SPEAKER_02: So you'd come past that, and then everyone would run back down the hill, and then they'd go you know down that trail area, and then they'd run back up, and it was it was quite entertaining.
13:12
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I liked seeing my mom and dad their face the one time, and they told me after the race, because this is like we were probably three-quarters of the race, or maybe not quite, but we were pretty far into the race, and and they just looked through open and because the year before I ran with everything I had, and I I got 103rd place, and they were they were telling me after the race, they're like, I don't know how anybody can be up front running that fast, and then and then this last year I was, and they're like, that was just crazy to see.
13:44
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that was probably an awesome moment.
13:45
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure they're super proud.
13:47
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
13:48
SPEAKER_02: Well, what is a week of training look like for you now?
13:52
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure it's changed with you know your experience and your new coach and all the things that you've kind of had shift in your years, but you know, in general, I know it can can change, but what would you say your mileage is or what are the main things you're doing in your training?
14:09
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I like to go we like to go about three weeks on and then one week off.
14:15
SPEAKER_00: Or not one week off, but like one week back down.
14:19
SPEAKER_00: But uh so last year I had Coach Schwartz, and and uh and we're still kind of similar.
14:25
SPEAKER_00: I have a new coach this year, Coach Jay Shell, and and he's doing a really great job too.
14:30
SPEAKER_00: He's really knowledgeable as well.
14:32
SPEAKER_00: But it I would say typically it's about eighty to I I I'm hoping to get 90 miles this week, but I like to be consistent around the 80 to 90 as long as things are going well.
14:45
SPEAKER_00: And then usually a long run and then uh two workouts a week and then just some uh miles in between.
14:54
SPEAKER_02: So what are your goals for the rest of the year?
14:57
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I'm sure you've got some big things that you're cooking up.
15:00
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
15:01
SPEAKER_00: I mean last year when I was that far up there, I was like, you know, I couldn't set my goal for top five, but at that point, you know, why not set it for national champion?
15:14
SPEAKER_00: And I have seen some things, you know, that that one guy dropped down uh from one of the leagues and and he's running pretty fast.
15:23
SPEAKER_00: And then the the other guy uh that's from Germany, he's running pretty fast, but it's Vancouver, so I mean anything can happen there.
15:33
SPEAKER_00: So I'm just gonna shoot for the moon, and it if I don't get it, I'll I'll land on the stars somewhere.
15:40
SPEAKER_02: So well, I mean anybody who's run cross country knows that finishing a race is something to be proud of.
15:49
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, making it to nationals, getting that experience.
15:52
SPEAKER_02: Um, even saying I'm an all-American, I mean, that's that's something a lot of people never even get close to achieving.
15:59
SPEAKER_02: So uh I know some top runners are often disappointed when you thought, oh, I'm just an all-American.
16:06
SPEAKER_02: But if you put that into perspective, that's definitely something to be really proud of.
16:11
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
16:12
SPEAKER_00: And I mean, yeah, when you look at even my past two, like the first two years, I made it to Nationals and cross country, but I wasn't even close to all American, and then track guy never even made it to nationals.
16:26
SPEAKER_00: I was all I was like two seconds off, you know, just pretty close, but just didn't quite make it.
16:31
SPEAKER_00: But and then yeah, it's just kind of with the new training and I I would say ever since I've been younger, like even running, I've had a good mentality.
16:42
SPEAKER_00: I think the big difference was the was the actual training.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: That's kind of what I needed.
16:49
SPEAKER_02: So Well, and it's clearly working.
16:53
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you you had some experience under your belt, then with the right training it kind of all clicked and yeah, now you're rolling.
17:01
SPEAKER_02: Well, what are your hobbies and interests when you're not running or you're not studying?
17:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I like to uh go snow skiing.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: We go about once a year.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: And then I I just like playing cards and and hanging out with my friends.
17:16
SPEAKER_02: So I'm guessing you get a lot of card playing in when it's nasty outside.
17:23
SPEAKER_02: Oh yeah, yeah.
17:25
SPEAKER_00: And it and it gets dark really early here in the winter.
17:28
SPEAKER_02: Like it's like five o'clock and it's dark out.
17:31
SPEAKER_02: I know.
17:32
SPEAKER_02: It's the same way in Michigan and it's really depressing.
17:34
SPEAKER_02: I'm loving this weather right now because everything's perfect.
17:37
SPEAKER_02: It's like 65 and sunny, no rain, no humidity.
17:41
SPEAKER_02: The leaves are beautiful, and I know, I know it's coming.
17:45
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
17:46
SPEAKER_00: I do like that.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: I do like though in cross how it gets cooler instead of hotter.
17:51
SPEAKER_00: Agreed.
17:51
SPEAKER_02: We will take that.
17:52
SPEAKER_02: Yes, agreed.
17:53
SPEAKER_02: Um, I I do think where Nationals is this year is gonna play more favorably to the teams with you know a cooler climate like you in the fall versus the southern states.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: So uh it's kind of a deceivingly tough course, too.
18:11
SPEAKER_00: I ran there in my freshman year, and I mean it it doesn't seem very, but the grass is soft, so it's like it's a good course.
18:20
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, I mean, I could be wrong because the southern states showed up pretty strongly at Gans Creek a couple years ago, and it was cold that that day.
18:28
SPEAKER_02: So who knows?
18:30
SPEAKER_02: Who knows?
18:30
SPEAKER_02: So maybe they're just more heat acclimated, and then when it gets cool, it's like woo.
18:34
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
18:36
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think once you're in shape, as long as it's not over 90, it's pretty fair playing field.
18:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
18:43
SPEAKER_00: And under 30.
18:44
SPEAKER_00: Oh, well, yeah.
18:46
SPEAKER_02: I one of my national meets, um, well, every year when I was running, the national meet was in the same place for cross-country, which was Kenosha, Wisconsin.
18:56
SPEAKER_02: So that's a a pretty well-known course.
18:58
SPEAKER_02: They have they have quite a few national races for both high school and college there.
19:02
SPEAKER_02: But um, my freshman year was six inches of snow.
19:06
SPEAKER_02: Oh wow.
19:06
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so it was it was a battle.
19:08
SPEAKER_02: It was slipping and sliding and all all sorts of fun.
19:13
SPEAKER_02: Well, uh, tell me about like were if you're training, were you more interested in doing a track workout, or do you prefer like the longer runs or a tempo run?
19:26
SPEAKER_00: I I like I like the longer runs out on the gravel road, whether it's whether it's cross-country or track season, I like just hitting the we've got really nice gravel roads around here and they just go forever.
19:39
SPEAKER_00: So and then my favorite workout is mile repeats.
19:44
SPEAKER_00: I I love mile repeats, so okay and not on the track.
19:48
SPEAKER_00: I like I like them on the grass.
19:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, agreed.
19:52
SPEAKER_02: I I enjoy I I run enough laps on the track during bases, so good point.
19:57
SPEAKER_02: That's fair, that's fair.
19:59
SPEAKER_02: Um now I I have to ask about your your gravel roads because in Michigan we have the same thing, but Indiana and Ohio, a lot of theirs are paved in the country.
20:12
SPEAKER_02: So um, do you feel like that helps keep you a little more injury free because of the softer surface?
20:20
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, I do.
20:21
SPEAKER_00: I think it helps a lot.
20:22
SPEAKER_00: Um and the other thing too is it it helps your stabilize your muscles too.
20:28
SPEAKER_00: I actually I tweaked my calf muscle a little bit ago, but I'm back running again.
20:33
SPEAKER_00: And um, so I did have to run it on the pavement for a little bit, and my and my legs could feel the difference, but I was just staying on the flat.
20:41
SPEAKER_00: But I got back on the gravel today and I was pretty excited.
20:45
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, well, I know here our high school cross-country coach, because we live in a rural area, and he's always saying, you know, you guys don't train on the pavement all the time, and it's better for your legs, it helps preserve your uh bounce a little bit when you're not slamming into the concrete all the time.
21:03
SPEAKER_02: Although you did mention there's not a lot of trees, so do you catch a lot of wind when you're out there?
21:08
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we do.
21:09
SPEAKER_00: We we like to me and my buddies, and and I've gotten a lot of people on board with this because when I first got here, we ran in town a lot.
21:18
SPEAKER_00: But now a lot of people are starting to realize oh, you know, maybe the gravel roads are better.
21:23
SPEAKER_00: But we usually take two cars out there and we park on one end and try and run with the wind.
21:29
SPEAKER_00: So well, I think cross season is usually better than outdoor track season cross, the wind usually isn't quite as bad.
21:37
SPEAKER_00: Right.
21:38
SPEAKER_02: Winter hasn't hit as violently yet.
21:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
21:42
SPEAKER_02: Well, I was gonna say when indoor nationals were in South Dakota, um my husband and I drove out there because my son ran for Spring Arbor.
21:53
SPEAKER_02: And okay, so uh he he and I had never traveled, so we went Michigan.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: And then we went into Minnesota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and then we came across, you know, the Dakotas.
22:06
SPEAKER_02: We had never driven through either of them.
22:09
SPEAKER_02: And it was really interesting to see.
22:13
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you could you could literally see probably I don't know however far the human eye can.
22:20
SPEAKER_02: I mean, just for miles.
22:22
SPEAKER_02: And it was such an interesting view.
22:25
SPEAKER_02: It was so different because Michigan is very wooded and hilly.
22:30
SPEAKER_02: And we just don't have those big we have farm fields, obviously, but we don't have these big open plains.
22:35
SPEAKER_02: And it was just I mean, we drove for I'm gonna say maybe two hours and did not see another car.
22:41
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
22:42
SPEAKER_00: That's pretty typical.
22:44
SPEAKER_00: Um and the eastern side is a lot flatter.
22:47
unknown: Okay.
22:49
SPEAKER_00: And there's actually a bad lands north of us and and west of us.
22:53
SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's it's I like being able to see for a while, but yeah, when it's windy, there's nothing to protect you.
22:59
SPEAKER_00: Right.
22:59
SPEAKER_00: Well, it made sense that they had wind turbines.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
23:03
SPEAKER_00: You can I mean you can see your dog running away for seven days.
23:08
SPEAKER_02: Well, uh, we didn't make it out to the Badlands.
23:11
SPEAKER_02: That was another couple hours farther west than we were willing to go with the drive we already had, but um, that was something I would have loved to see because I was so close, but not quite there.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: They just got the that new presidential library too in Majora, so we'll have to check that out if you come this way.
23:28
SPEAKER_00: All right.
23:28
SPEAKER_02: Well, one day when I'm really retired and I have my RV, I'll just trek around and see see all these cool places.
23:37
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so speaking of all this running, what's your shoe of choice that you're wearing?
23:43
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I was I've been an ASIC gel teano for a while.
23:49
SPEAKER_00: I went away from it, got some injuries, and I decided to go back and try them again, and I think that's what I'm gonna stick with for the rest of my running career.
23:59
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, if it works.
24:01
SPEAKER_00: And I I joke around, I say I'm sponsored by a prairie dental, but but that's my mom's dental practice.
24:08
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
24:09
SPEAKER_00: But we're always we're always trying to get him on sale and stuff, and she and she provides my shoes, so nice.
24:15
SPEAKER_00: He likes to keep me injury free, so yeah, yeah.
24:19
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
24:19
SPEAKER_02: Well, um, you know, there aren't a ton of NIL athletes, if any, that I know of in the NII.
24:26
SPEAKER_02: So you're not getting shoes in most cases.
24:29
SPEAKER_02: You're you're selling out for those yourself.
24:31
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
24:32
SPEAKER_02: So well, you said you gave up music last Lent, but if you have a song that you really enjoy listening to, is there something that comes to mind when you're running?
24:44
SPEAKER_00: Uh right now it's probably Diamonds by Wayland Jennings.
24:48
SPEAKER_00: It's actually it was an unreleased album, but they're just releasing it.
24:53
SPEAKER_00: They're actually releasing the album in December, but yeah, so I'm I'm a Whalen Jennings guy.
25:00
SPEAKER_00: He's gonna be my number one on Spotify this year, probably.
25:03
SPEAKER_02: So old country.
25:05
SPEAKER_02: I was gonna say kicking it old school.
25:07
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, classic rock, 80s rock, probably.
25:10
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
25:11
SPEAKER_02: I find it really funny that Michael Jackson has come back full force with this movie because you know that was my childhood, and now everybody my daughter is my youngest daughter's 14, and now she's singing all his songs, and it's just so funny.
25:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, my my girlfriend really likes uh her or himself after after it's coming back, she's pretty excited too.
25:32
SPEAKER_02: So uh we were talking about how if Michael Jackson was to try to be famous like that today, it wouldn't work that way because so many people get famous through TikTok and YouTube and all these he didn't have any of that, so it was kind of an anomaly.
25:49
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
25:50
SPEAKER_00: It's just uh it's a lot different times nowadays than it was back then.
25:54
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
25:55
SPEAKER_02: So well, what's your favorite movie?
25:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, hmm, boy, that's a tough one.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: I would have to say.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: Maybe a s the sandlot.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: I really like the sandlot.
26:07
SPEAKER_02: It's a classic.
26:08
SPEAKER_02: I love the sandlot.
26:10
SPEAKER_00: So I was gonna say, what's your favorite quote?
26:14
SPEAKER_02: That's mine, and then um the s'mores making scene.
26:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, where he's yeah, he's like, Well, how can you have s'more or something if you don't have anything?
26:24
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, that's have you seen the YouTube shorts that the actor who played um Ham, he's he looks exactly the same now, but I think he knows about dads, I think.
26:37
SPEAKER_00: I have I haven't really seen the videos, but I have seen uh I have seen a video or two of him online, but yeah, yeah, he's pretty funny.
26:45
SPEAKER_02: It's all the guys from the sandlot except the actor who played uh Benny.
26:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay.
26:52
SPEAKER_02: And so I apparently he's sworn off acting, he will not even respond to like any of their requests.
26:58
SPEAKER_02: So I know, I know, I guess it's just the way it's gonna be.
27:03
SPEAKER_02: But it's pretty funny to see them all together.
27:06
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's that's a great movie.
27:08
SPEAKER_02: That's a classic.
27:09
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
27:10
SPEAKER_02: All right.
27:11
SPEAKER_02: Well, my last question for you is if you could run with anyone, whether they're from the past in history or they're from the present day, um, and you could take them and you could have them run anywhere in the world, who would you choose to run with and where would you choose to go?
27:30
SPEAKER_00: Oh, you know, I was uh so me and my buddy, we've been going to the church and we we read and pray there, and and I was getting a little sidetracked, and I was looking up and I was like, dang, Jesus had a pretty good uh runner's build, so I think I'd want to run with him somewhere in Bethlehem or something.
27:49
SPEAKER_00: Or Galilee.
27:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
27:52
SPEAKER_00: Well he probably he looked like he could run a pretty fast 5K.
27:56
SPEAKER_02: So somebody else said that as well.
27:59
SPEAKER_02: And they said, Well, I mean, if he can run across water, he can run anywhere.
28:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
28:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and he watched quite a bit, so I'm sure he was in decent shape.
28:10
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, yeah.
28:11
SPEAKER_02: Well, I mean, and if he couldn't beat you on his physical strength alone, he's got a little, you know, extra something, something from a heavenly push, maybe.
28:24
SPEAKER_02: All right.
28:24
SPEAKER_02: Well, it has been awesome to chat with you.
28:27
SPEAKER_02: I'm so excited for what's next for you because man, look at the awesome progress you've made in just a year and a half or so.
28:35
SPEAKER_02: So it's gonna be exciting to see how it goes to the rest of the season and then at nationals and into track two.
28:41
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
28:42
SPEAKER_00: So thanks for having me.
28:44
SPEAKER_02: Thanks so much for tuning in to the Red Banner Race Report.
28:48
SPEAKER_02: I can't wait to feature more cross-country and track and field athletes from the NAIA.
28:52
SPEAKER_02: So stay tuned because it just might be you.
28:54
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28:58
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29:06
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29:09
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