On Dec. 13, Darien (Conn.) High senior Alex Ostberg will make his second consecutive appearance at the Foot Locker cross country championship finals, held on Morley Field at Balboa Park. Ostberg aims to finish in the top 10. | Photo courtesy of Darien Athletic Foundation
Alex Ostberg feels in command of his fate as he heads to San Diego to compete at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championship finals on Morley Field at Balboa Park this weekend.
A year ago, he finished 11th, one second shy of placing in the top 10, at Foot Locker finals — his first cross country race on a national circuit.
This time, however, the senior from Darien (Conn.) High said he better understands what he’s capable of and intends to rewrite last year’s storyline with the goal of finishing in the top 10, but hasn’t ruled out the top five.
“I don’t want to limit myself,” said Ostberg, who won the Connecticut state open cross country title in October. “I want to give it all I have. It’s been a great season. I’ve been giving an extra 10 percent. The work you put in is decided at this point. I’m ready to go.”
Ostberg, who enters the national meet as the Northeast Regional champion, said he intends to attack the race by not keeping a distance from Grand Blanc (Mich.) senior Grant Fisher, who seeks to defend his national title.
“If I shadow him and race by his side, I’ll put myself in good shape,” Ostberg said.
Ostberg talked with USA TODAY High School Sports about his race strategy and what else he expects of this weekend’s showdown at the Foot Locker Cross Country championship finals.
Question: You’ve expressed you’re not satisfied about your performance during last year’s Foot Locker Cross Country finals. How do you intend to capitalize on that experience?
Answer: Last year was a dry run. I just wanted to go out there and race. It was my first time flying to California for a race and meeting all these guys who I idolized. The first time around can be a little distracting, but the second time, you know what to expect. I’m going to be more business-oriented this time. I still intend to enjoy the experience — it’s an amazing opportunity — but I’m going to be really focused and run the best I possibly can.
Q: What are your expectations for this race?
A: I’m consistently running about 20 seconds faster than last year. I think I’ll be able to run a lot faster in San Diego. But that doesn’t really mean much because the competition is better this year. There are so many guys capable of running in the top 10 — the most deserving people might not get one (a top 10 spot). I want to go in there and execute my plan. A reasonable expectation I have for myself is top 10, but I’m also going for a top five spot — anything can happen on race day.
Ostberg enters the national meet as the Foot Locker Northeast Regional Cross Country champion. He intends to attack the race by not keeping a distance from Grand Blanc (Mich.) senior Grant Fisher, who seeks to defend his national title. | Photo courtesy of Darien Athletic Foundation
Q: At the New England championship, you raced the second fastest course time, 15:07, which is the same time your future Stanford teammate Grant Fisher ran on the Foot Locker course to win last year.
A: I didn’t think about that, actually. Grant’s an awesome guy. He’s a very good tactician, which separates him from the rest of the field. He’s up there with Edward Cheserek as one of the best high school runners we’ve had in the past 20 years. He’s an outstanding runner and a great role model for all high school runners — humble and the perfect person I want to have by myself for the next four years.
Q: Aside from Fisher, who else are you looking forward to competing against?
A: I’m not racing to beat someone in particular out of revenge or anything like that. I want to focus on myself and if I feel like I ran the best race I possibly could, I’m going to be happy with the results.
Q: What’s the most challenging part of the course?
A: It’s not the most difficult course I’ve run on, but because of the nature of the race and level of competition it seems to make the course a little bit harder. Last year the pace kept getting faster and faster. I underestimated the hill the second time around. It doesn’t seem too challenging at first, but it knocks a lot of momentum out of you, especially when your legs start to get tired.
Q: What advice specific to the course do you have for runners who will compete at nationals for the first time?
A: Last year we hit the two-mile mark at 9:53. It was a reasonable pace, but nothing out-of-this world fast. If someone kicked it out at a 4:40 pace, that would totally change things because then you’re running more of a strength race rather than a tactical race.
If it’s a strength race, it’s simple: run as fast as you can for 5K. If it’s a tactical race, you’ve got to crest the hill strong and take the momentum from the downhill to the finish line, which is exactly what Grant Fisher did last year. He looked really strong.
An increase in hill training has helped Ostberg prepare to attack the 1.5-mile course around Balboa Park. | Photo courtesy of Darien Athletic Foundation
Q: Based on last year’s performance, how will you adjust your race strategy?
A: I want to make sure when the gun goes off that I feel as prepared as possible. The training leading up to the race is the most important component to that. I’ve been doing a lot more hill work this year to prepare for the hill the first and second time around so hopefully I’ll have less fatigue.
I’m relatively prepared for any race scenario. If the pace is fast and is a strength race, I’ve done a lot of training. That would probably suit me a little bit better. But if it’s a tactical race, I’m prepared because my finishing speed has gotten a lot better. I’m going to respond to the competition.
Q: What’s your recovery plan after you wrap up in California?
A: Rest is really important. The cross country season is tough. I started training in June and raced seven times in six weeks in October and November. I’m a little banged up. I need a mental and physical break for two weeks before I gear up for track season. I’m going to forget about running during that break, and then I’ll feel hungry to get back to training.