The Foot Locker Experience
Hey guys, it’s Sam Berger from Zionsville. I had the amazing opportunity last weekend to be able to travel to San Diego to compete in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. I did what I could to represent Zionsville cross country and Indiana running, so I thought I would share with everyone the weekend I had and my thoughts on the whole experience.
Midwest Regional
Up to the regional, my 2011 cross-country season was very consistent. I felt like I had a breakout race in me, but it never came. I went into the Midwest regional with no pressure. It was my last XC race of my high school career, so I just wanted to race. I had run right behind Futsum Zeinasellassie at the start of races all season, so I just stuck to my normal game plan. I also had Mitch Hubner and Luke Brahm right beside me at the start, which made me feel right at home. I made it all the way to the 3k mark until I really hit my first wave of exhaustion. After that, it was just flat out racing. The whole last mile, there were coaches constantly calling out the tenth place
runner just a few runners in front of me. I thought to myself, “Sam, this is the opportunity you’ve always dreamed of. Don’t let this slip.” So for the last 600 meters, I gave it all I got. It ended up being an all out sprint for that 10th spot. I looked at the clock just as I finished and it said 15:19. I guess I was finally able to have that break out race that I waited for, and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. I crossed the line and they handed me the “California, here I come” T-shirt. It was the most unbelievable race of my life.
Championship Weekend
Thursday - December 8
I woke up Thursday morning at 3:30 AM after sleeping for a solid 5 hours (it's a difficult combo trying falling asleep at 9 and being so excited). My family and I headed out from my house at 4 AM for the airport and as we are leaving, we see Ryan Conrad and Max Gernhard (shout out) jumping around in the driveway across the street wearing no shirts to send me off. I arrived at the airport and saw Futsum sitting at the gate. This was the first time I'd met him, and right away I knew he was a chill guy. We got to Chicago and met up with the other runners in our group. We arrived in San Diego to perfect weather and palm trees. We were shuttled to the Hotel del Coronado, where we got our gear and found out our roommates (they gave us shirts, jackets, shoes, and a backback). It’s very difficult for me to find words to properly describe everything at the hotel. The hotel was right up next to the beach, and had an ice rink, creamery, and an outdoor patio garden. What more could an Indiana kid ask for? My roommates happened to be Tim Ball, Daniel Vertiz, and Craig Nowak, all pretty tight guys. I hung out with Futsum until the group run later that afternoon. As we were running, Futsum spotted Edward Cheserek and right away they talked like they had known each other forever. I was fortunate to be able to just run behind them and witness the spectacle. Later that evening, there was introductory dinner and scavenger hunt (scavenger hunt was not the greatest idea due to the amount of running involved). In the middle of the scavenger hunt, many of us hit a wall and became exhausted so we promptly headed back to our rooms. It took me a while to fall asleep even though I was dead tired.
From L to R: Berger, Zeinasellassie, Cheserek, Gardner, Bile
Friday - December 9
Woke up the next morning early. After eating breakfast, we went to the course at Balboa Park. The weather was perfect and the park is beautiful. The amazing thing about San Diego is that everything is so clean and the grass is like carpet, short and soft. I fell in love with everything about it right away. I ran with the Midwest boys (Michael Clevenger, Malachy Schrobilgen, Grant Nyzaka, and Addison Dehaven; all very cool guys). Some things we noticed about the course were that it changed terrain very often and the famous hill was not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. The course starts out doing a short loop out to the edge of the hill switching from grass to dirt to mulch. It comes back to go around a swimming pool then crosses the street to the other part of the park. It weaves around trees going over some rolling hills until the mile mark right at the base of the big hill. The hill keeps climbing for about 200 meters. At the top, you run for about 200 meters again until a very steep downhill. You weave around some more trees until you pass the start and then you run this whole loop twice. It is a completely different course then I have ever run in my life. I suppose it is due to the short grass and changing terrain. After some strides and enjoying having our shirts off, we went back to the hotel and rested the rest of the day (we watched Paranormal Activity 3 for some reason) until the pasta dinner. At the dinner, there was a panel consisting of some great athletes, like Adam Goucher, Garrett Heath, and Suzy Favor Hamilton. All of the athletes had some great advice and guidance to give. For me, it was uplifting for me to hear these runners say, “You put in the work. You belong here.” Since I was the tenth qualifier out of the regional, I had thoughts of the possibility that I would get last place and get smoked. But after the panel, those thoughts left. That was when I realized that I have an equal shot as any runner here to do well. As runners, confidence is all you need sometimes. Not overconfidence, but a confidence that tells you, “I can run with these guys.” After the panel, I went to get a kiss from Suzy Favor Hamilton (good luck) then went back to the room for the night. At this point, I really started to get the feeling I always get the night before races. It’s along the lines of “Holy crap, I’m racing tomorrow.” I kept my mind off the race by watching “Horrible Bosses.”
Saturday - December 10
I slept very well the night before the race surprisingly. We took a bus to the park and I immediately notice how amazing the atmosphere of the race is. There
are cameras and media everywhere. It certainly makes you feel like a big deal. During breakfast/ the bus ride/ the warm up, I wasn’t really nervous as much as anxious. I continued to have the mindset that I had after the panel last night. The thought that kept going through my head was this: “All of these guys out here are great runners. I can be one of those great runners.” The majority of the runners I was competing against had PR’s of under 9:10. Futsum helped me keep my nerves for the race and keep things in perspective. I also knew he was way more nervous than me. I also kept thinking about my game plan for the race, as it seemed to be constantly changing. I knew I had two options. I could go out pretty hard like I normally do or sit back and save it for the second loop of the course. I opted to go out relaxed and save it. Something that swayed my decision was that the other Midwest guys were going out relaxed as well. It made me more comfortable to know that I could pack run with these guys. After a short warm up, we came back to camp, got our spikes and jerseys on, and chilled until introductions. At this point, I had stopped thinking. I just wanted race. We were able to get a few more strides in before we had to line up for the start. It was unbelievable to actually stand at the start line at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. But I didn’t think about that, it was just another start line in the moment. Then the race was off. Honestly, it was hard to think during the race because it just seemed so surreal. It was my first actual national meet with competition as good as this. Nonetheless, I was able to do as I planned and stick in the MW pack in 20th to 30th. I stayed relaxed and chilled there. We went through the mile in 4:57, which is just before the big hill the first time. I just bided my time until we passed the start line to start the second loop. I felt great at that point and felt like I could start moving up. Kept moving until the two mile mark (10:15 I believe) and 200 meters passed it when the course took its toll on me. I started dropping off the guy I was moving on, and the hill did me in the second time (I guess we were wrong about the hill), so I basically stayed in the same position for the last 800 meters of the race after the hill. I feel that I could not have done anything more on that day and the course is the hardest course I have ever run on (yes, even harder than Terre Haute). I executed my race plan, did my best, and competed. So I left the race with my head held high and a smile on my face. As for the Futsum and Cheserek show, I only saw them once in the race, just past halfway, and they were neck and neck about 50 meters in front of the other guys. Futsum had talked to me a lot about race strategies and his concerns about it, which made me feel pretty special. It was disheartening to hear the announcers saying Cheserek's name when I finished. It was a while before I was able to talk to him after the race. I walked up to him, gave him a hug, and he says to me "Sammy, I couldn't do it man." We talked about our races together for a bit then headed back to the buses. Futsum was sad until we got back to the hotel, but after that, we both just enjoyed the rest of our time in San Diego. The highlight of the night was when Cheserek gave his winning speech at the Footlocker banquet and he called up Futsum to speak. Futsum remained humble and was a class act the whole trip, and it especially showed after the race and during his speech. It was very inspiring to me and many others I am sure. After the banquet, there was a dance where I was finally able to show off my great dance skills. Futsum and I both ended up not/hardly sleeping that night because we both had to be in the lobby at 4 AM to head to the airport.
Sunday - December 11
Heading to the airport was sad, but I was still glad to head home again. Futsum and I both slept once we got to our gate. I arrived back home to the cold in the late afternoon.
Looking back, Foot Locker might have been the best running experience I have ever had in my life. It was unbelievable being around so many great runners and the atmosphere of everything at the hotel, course, and at the meetings/meals. In fact, it might be the closest I will ever get to being a pro runner. All the guys I met were awesome, and I definitely made many new friends along the way. As for Futsum and Cheserek's friendship, I was able to have the extraordinary opportunity to watch it develop. They were able to get close as friends, but they still knew a race was to be run and they were both very nervous and focused for the race. There is no way Cheserek took it easy for friendship, in my opinion.
But anyways, Footlocker will always be a great memory of mine. I get to say that I was in the greatest high school cross-country race of all time. Foot Locker should definitely be something that high school runners should strive to compete in. It has been a goal of mine for 3 years to qualify for this meet. I have had my ups and downs during that time with my running, but this goal has always been in the back of my mind. Going into the regional, I realized that I just needed to enjoy competing and not over think it (a problem of mine). So that's what I did, just raced. Thank you everyone for their support and I am glad I was able to represent Indiana and Indiana runners.
To close, I would like to make some special thanks. I would like to thank my family for making the trip out to support me. They have been there all season for me. Thank you Coach Porras, Coach Drake, Coach Brake, (former) Coach Cleland, and (former) Coach Bain for supporting me as well and giving me the advice and guidance that has made me the runner I am today. Thank you Futsum for being my big brother the whole weekend. I am glad we were bale to become close friends. I must also thank Max and Ryan again for waking up at 4 to send me off. They might be the best teammates I have ever had. Thank you Chris Walden, Mike Fout, Dylan Sorensen for giving me some tips about the Foot Locker experience. Thank you Kent Garrett for being my inspiration. Finally, I thank God for blessing me with this opportunity. I couldn't have done it on my own without His guidance and strength.
Thanks everyone,
Sam Berger (Zionsville Community High School Cross Country)
"Don't be afraid to get a little extreme." - Coach John Cleland