Salute To Seniors - Ben Olson

Ben Olson
Blaine High School


                                                        What are all your personal records?

                                                        5k: 15:58

                                                        3200: 9:31

                                                        1600: 4:19


                                                        How did you get started as a track or cross country athlete?

                                                        I played baseball, hockey and soccer growing up, and loved playing all of them. However, my family has always been pretty active in endurance activities, and we participated in many citizen races with cousins, aunts and uncles. I really gravitated toward endurance sports, and grew to love competing at the summer USATF and AAU events.  Consequently I started training with the high school my 7th grade year.


                                                        What was your most memorable competition?

                                                        I have two favorite races, and both came this year. First, this year's State mile was a fun competition for me. I ran the 3200 the day before and I felt flat throughout, and wasn't able to stay with the lead pack after the first mile. That same race, I fell two seconds short of our school record, and after the race I lost my breakfast, to say the least. I felt awful for the majority of the day, but was thankful to have one more chance, and decided to make the most of it. I had my eyes set on our school record (4:20.6) as well as getting a podium spot. I went through the first 3 laps in 1:05, 2:10, 3:16 and knew that I had to close faster to make it happen. I closed in 63 and was happy to get a podium spot as well as set a new school record. I was able to celebrate it with my cousin (Molly Moening) who also broke her school record as well.

                                                        My other favorite was actually at our section Nordic ski meet. My team went in to the meet with the goal of qualifying for the State Meet, something our team hadn't done in over 40 years.  We had all trained hard together throughout the summer, fall and winter and felt like it was all building up to this race. The morning of, I was out testing wax for the first race of the day, and felt that I had a good handle on what was going to work. However, come time of our race, it was clear that we missed the ball. We were put into a tight battle going into the afternoon race, but we all remained poised and confident in our skate skiing abilities and knew that if we skied our best races, we had a great chance.  We hit the wax right for the afternoon race and my teammates killed it. Watching them come into the finish, I was counting skiers and as soon as our fourth guy came through I knew that we had it. It was a long celebration to say the least and I think important for the younger athletes on our team to see that it could be done.

                                                         

                                                        Who were your biggest competitors in your track/XC career?

                                                        I have raced a lot of super talented runners throughout my high school career. Every year, somebody new steps up and proves themselves to be a tough competitor. Over the years, I have enjoyed competing with runners such as Blake IversonTom Breuckman, Austin Streit and David Dahl. We all race each other a lot and I know they will always push me.

                                                         

                                                        What was your greatest accomplishment as a track/XC athlete?

                                                        I think being a 3-sport all state athlete is my biggest accomplishment. During the summer, I work hard as skier and runner, and it takes a lot of time and commitment to be competitive in both. I am proud of my accomplishments as a Nordic skier, but look forward to focusing on running in college.


                                                        If you could do it all over again, what would you change about your track/XC high school?

                                                        The importance of listening to my body would probably be my biggest take away. Often times when I feel fatigued, or I wake up with a high heart rate, I still feel the need to stick exactly to my plan and hit all the paces and times. I think this mentality caused me to dig myself into a hole on a few occasions, and I found it is very hard to bounce back from it.


                                                        How have your coaches been an influence to you as an athlete and a person?

                                                        I trained and competed with a club called Loppet Nordic Racing throughout the past few years. My coaches not only taught me how to be a good runner and skier, but also how to be a well rounded person. One of the coolest parts of my experience was the opportunity to coach inner-city youth and teach them about how to live an active lifestyle. While an athlete of the program, I was opened to many different opportunities and got to train with some of the most talented athletes from the metro area, and even world-class athletes. My coaches were also very knowledgeable, and were able to relate with the athletes, as well as develop us as athletes. All my high school coaches have been big supporters along the way as well.


                                                        What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?

                                                        Last season, I came into the season in really good shape, running 15:58 my first race. A few weeks later, I suffered a heat stroke at the Milaca Mega Meet. After that, I didn't take a break and don't think I ever gave myself enough time to recover from the incident. Looking back on it, I think it affected the remainder of my season as I never felt that I regained my earlier form.


                                                        What will you miss the most about high school track/XC?

                                                        It's going to be hard to say goodbye to my teammates;  we are all super close and spend a lot of time together. They have been there for me every step of the way and I owe a lot to them. The camaraderie between the teams in our conference and section will also be missed.

                                                         

                                                        What advice would you give to younger athletes?

                                                        Have fun with it, and don't get caught up in times, wins, losses, rankings or any other results. Spending too much time analyzing definitely turns into a mental game, which may cause you to second guess yourself, and if you are capable of competing with others ranked above you.  


                                                        What are your post-graduation plans?

                                                        I will be attending South Dakota State University for Mechanical Engineering. I will also be running on the cross country and track teams along side many other metro athletes.


                                                        Who would you like to say 'thank you' to?

                                                        First and foremost, my parents and grandparents come to nearly every one of my meets. Seeing them there is something special, and I know I am lucky to have them there supporting me. I should probably also thank my sister, Sarah. She has been a training partner since we were young, and we continue to roller ski and run together. I also want to say thank you to my teammates for training with me, even when I push the pace a little bit on easy days :)


                                                        Is there anything else you'd like to add?

                                                        The past 6 years has been a rollercoaster journey, and I want to thank everyone who played a role in my amazing experience.  I look forward to developing as an athlete in the ensuing years. The running community in Minnesota is awesome, I always felt supported and part of the community of runners, even as a youngster.