Jake Hurysz is a new face on the national scene after his third place finish at the Foot Locker South Regional. His time of 14:46 ties him the fastest ever by a North Carolina runner on the 5K course at McAlpine Greenway Park with 2006 South Region champion and Foot Locker All-American Ryan Hill. The 3A state champion from Eastern Alamance High Schoolin Mebane, North Carolina has improved great strides from last year when he ran 15:57 on the Foot Locker South regional course. Huryz (pictured left by Jeff Sides for https://nc.milesplit.com) also turned in a 9:08 3200 meter time trial in between winning his North Carolina state cross country title and qualifying for Foot Locker Nationals. The UNC recruit looks to continue his stellar string of races this fall with an All-American showing on Saturday at Balboa Park in San Diego.
Interview with Jake Hurysz
MileSplit US: Congratulations on qualifying for your first Foot Locker finalists. How confidence were you about your chances to finish among the top 10 entering the regional meet in Charlotte?
Jake Hurysz: Well going into the race I felt very confident. DyeStat had me finishing fifth so I knew people were expecting me to qualify. I ran 9:08 alone two weeks before that so I felt pretty strong and trusted my fitness pretty well.
MileSplit US: It is incredible to think about the improvement you have made in one year on that same course at McAlpine from 15:57 to 14:46, which ties you with Ryan Hill as the fastest all-time by a NC runner on that course. Is it shocking for you to think about how far you come along since last year?
Hurysz: Yeah it is crazy! I ran the Reebok Wolfpack Invite and my previous time on the course was 16:54, and I ended up running 15:12. Right off the course record. So I knew that I had improved drastically. But, its just an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as Ryan Hill. That guys is one of the premier distance runners to ever come through North Carolina.
MileSplit US: Has your training changed much from last year? What differences do you see in yourself as a runner from a year ago?
Hurysz: My training has changed so much since last year. Last year was my first cross season and I was doing maybe 25 miles a week. Now, I'm at like 35 to 40 miles a week. I see myself as a much more confident runner. I was very young last year and I would often get very nervous before races. After running pretty solid times this year, I now know that I belong on the course with those guys and I'm going out there to compete. I am also much more fit than I was last year. I've grown a bit and developed a pretty solid base.
(Photo right by John Olson of https://sc.milesplit.com)
MileSplit US: How does it feel to know you ran the fastest time ever by a North Carolina runner on that course?
Hurysz: Well obviously it feels pretty good. North Carolina has had some very big names come through. I mean you got Taylor Gilland, Matt Debole, Sandy Roberts, Ryan Hill, Patrick Campbell, and Jack Bolas. To know that I have a PR faster than they do, it is amazing. Last year, I was dreaming to run the kind of times those guys did. It just feels really good to know that it is now, a reality.
MileSplit US: This year was an incredibly fast year for the South regional race. What do you think attributed to the fast times in that seeded race?
Hurysz: This year was indeed a very fast year for the South. I believe that all the kids in the South found out how fast the course actually was, and wanted to be able and nab a sub 15 PR. Also, all of those guys are very competitive, and are going to do what it takes training and racing wise to make it out to San Diego. The South is back and hopefully were going to go out to California and prove something.
MileSplit US: Talk about that 9:08 3200 time trial at Reagan High School. What was your goal time entering the race and how did the race unfold for you?
Hurysz: Yeah the two mile tuneup out at Reagan was a lot of fun. This was the week coming off the state championships. I just went in there with a goal time of sub 9:15. It was pretty windy out but the deep field made up for it. You got Blake Williams (Foot Locker Finalist), Thomas Graham (15:05 15th place at Foot Locker South) Issac Presson (15:13 at Foot Locke South) and Patrick Crawford who won the boys 4A state title. The gun goes off and Presson and I take it out in like 65. Right after the first lap I decided I'm going to take it out harder. We come through the 1st mile in 4:32 and I had a pretty solid lead on the pack by about 30 meters or so. From then on I just kept making a gap. The wind started to get to me on the 6th and 7th laps. I think they were 70 and 71 second laps. I closed in 63. I ran the race pretty much alone. The wind was definitely a factor.
(Photo left by Cheryl Treworgy of prettysporty.com)
MileSplit US: You committed verbally early to UNC-Greensboro and then changed your mind to UNC? What made you decide to make your decision early and then change your mind to UNC?
Hurysz: Well UNCG was recruiting me pretty hard. I committed very early and it wasn't a very smart idea on my part. This was before I started running fast. So, after I ran 15:12 at the Wolfpack invite, my coach and I started thinking and thought I needed to go ahead and decommit. Other college coaches felt the same way. The word got out pretty quick and I started getting lots of emails and calls from other schools. Sure enough, UNC coach Peter Watson emails me the next day letting me know to give him my number so he can call. He comes to my house for an in-home visit a few weeks later and we set up a visit. I committed to UNC on my visit.
MileSplit US: What was more of a goal for you this year? Winning a state title or qualifying for Foot Locker Nationals?
Hurysz: Well they were definitely my top two cross country season goals. I guess I can't say one was more important than the other. I was just taking them once race at a time. After I made the goal of winning the state title, it was onto qualifying for Foot Locker. I set some goals for place and time wise. So they were both very equal in my book.
(Photo right by Bruce Taylor of https://ga.milesplit.com)
MileSplit US: Would you consider your win earlier in the season at the Wolfpack Invite as a turning point in your season when you realized you could have a really special year?
Hurysz: Yeah exactly. After winning the Wolfpack Invite, it was just a huge confidence booster. I knew from then on I belonged on the course with a lot of guys. I guess you can pretty much say that if I had not have won that race, then I might not be doing this interview with you right now (Laughing). But yeah it just gave me a tremendous amount of confidence and helped me set some pretty high goals.
MileSplit US: What are your goals for the Foot Locker Nationals race?
Hurysz: Well I just want to go out to the race andget in a very good rhythm. I want to start out in the top 15 and just pick of some guys and hopefully finish in the top 8. If I finish that high, then I couldn't be happier with myself. Also, my beach football team win. Someone pick me up! (Laughing)
