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Ben Johnson on his way to a sixth-place finish at the 2006 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships.

Interview with Ben Johnson

Posted on December 14, 2006, Interview conducted December 9, 2006

By Alison Wade

Unlike the girls' race at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, where eight of the top 10 finishers will have the opportunity to return in 2007, sixth-place finisher Ben Johnson is the only runner to finish in the top eight who is an underclassman. A junior at Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico, Johnson won the New Mexico AAAA state title this fall, finished second to Steve Murdock at Nike Team Nationals, and capped off his stellar season with a sixth-place finish at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships.

Johnson is the second runner from Albuquerque Academy to qualify for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. The first was Matt Twiest, who did so 11 years earlier. Johnson and his Academy teammates, who finished seventh at Nike Team Nationals, are coached by Adam Kedge.

How does it feel to be the top underclassman?
It feels pretty good because I had no idea that I was able to do this.

Qualifying for this via Nike Team Nationals, it's a little harder to know where you stand, since you didn't get to compare yourself to the runners in your region at the West Regional.
Yeah, you're right. When I came here, I didn't know how I stacked up against these guys. I didn't really know them all, I'd think, "Oh, that guy looks fast..." But really it just comes down to race day.

What did you do between Nike Team Nationals and Foot Locker Nationals? Did you go home?
Yeah, I went home. On Monday, I just did a regular practice and then I tapered a bit towards the end of the week, and then I flew back out here.

Has it been tiring to do both NTN and this?
It hasn't been so bad, actually. I really took it easy this week. I just had one interval session and other than that it wasn't so hard, so my body was really able to recover.

Have you missed much schoolwork between these two meets?
Oh, you don't even know [laughs]. I have so much homework that I'm going to be staying up really late tomorrow. I'm hoping my teachers are [understanding].

What was your goal going into the race, and how did the race play out for you?
I wanted to be All-American (top 15), that was my first goal. Working with my coach, we devised a strategy. We planned to have me take it a little bit easier at the beginning because some guys get pretty anxious. I was in about 25th place, but I slowly worked my way up, using the downhill to get some momentum and picking off people as I went along. I used the last hill to push the pace.

Were you pretty much moving up throughout the entire race?
Yeah, I was moving up the whole time, that was the goal. I didn't want to get in over my head at the beginning. That way I could take pieces that I could handle and that way if I felt great, I could move up.

Does the fact that you share a name with a Canadian sprinter who has been banned for drug use ever present a problem?
That actually never comes up too much. A lot of people don't actually know about him.

If you make it to the international level, it might become a little more confusing.
Hopefully I can change [the things people associate with] the name.

What kind of training do you do?
What my coaches focus on a lot is recovery days. They say 'Take your rest' a lot, so I don't do too many miles, like 50 miles a week during the season. Once a week, I usually have harder intervals, shorter stuff, and then in the middle of the week I usually have a tempo workout. I think the things my coach focuses on are long runs and rest, because a lot of high school kids do need rest.

How long is your long run?
I usually do it by time, but it's probably 11-13 miles.

It must be nice to be born in an area that is essentially a mecca for elite distance runners.
Actually, because I got to Albuquerque Academy, a lot of runners come to my school, and it's kind of cool to see them on the track. I've seen [Hicham] El Guerrouj, David Krummenacker, Paula Radcliffe, just tons of people. We have a pretty good track and our school has like 300 acres in the middle of the city. We have a dirt trail around the perimeter, so a lot of people run there. There's a lot of open space, and I think that's what they like, getting away from the city.

Is having all of those international class runners running at your school a source of inspiration for you?
I would say more so my teammates or my coach...seeing guys who are working their butts off to improve a little bit. I've been given a gift, a talent, I believe, by God, so it just motivates me to work that much harder, seeing guys who are working hard too.

Are there people on your team who can push you in workouts?
Actually Dustin Martin, he's our number two runner this year, and he's always with me, usually. At [Nike Team Nationals] he got 12th, but he's really helped me a lot over the past few years. When I was a freshman, I wasn't up to his standard yet, and then last year he really helped me a lot. This year he was with me in every workout, if he wasn't on a college visit or something, because he's a senior this year. He has really helped me throughout the season.

Between you getting sixth and Matt Tebo getting fifth, this is a really good showing for New Mexico. Is that a surprise to you, or does it just reflect what you thought you guys could do?
I think a lot of people underestimate New Mexico sometimes. They think about Washington or California in the West region, not New Mexico. We've had good runners over the years, like people from Gallup High School, Brandon Leslie, etc. I don't think we get a lot of acknowledgement, but I think New Mexico is doing pretty well on the distance running scene as of late.

Will you run indoor track? What will you do during the winter?
The University of New Mexico just got a brand new indoor track, it's really nice, actually. We don't run too much indoor track. They have a couple high school meets, but I've only run on that track once. So we don't have much of an indoor season, we have more of an outdoor focus.

When will your outdoor season begin?
Pre-season starts in February and our state championship is May 4th and 5th.

What are your goals for the track season? Have they changed at all in light of your success today?
To be a state champion. That's what it always is, usually. I'll worry about times later, but I'd just like to be a state champion in the mile and maybe the two-mile.

What has been the best part of this Foot Locker experience so far?
Meeting new people and getting to run against people that I had no idea about. Just being able to compete against the best is really cool, and to see how you stack up. For example, my roommate, I had no idea who he was and he's one of the coolest guys I've ever met.

Who was your roommate?
Hassan Mead, who got fourth today. He's really cool. All of the nice stuff is really great, but I think it's the people who make this experience [what it is].