Chasing goals

Newcastle High School junior Sam Cunningham set a goal as a sophomore to become the best he could be as a distance runner, specifically a successful cross country runner. As such, last spring he decided to forego playing soccer to focus on running, and he’s been racking up the miles ever since.

He ran one of those miles at the Simplot Games, a prestigious indoor track meet, which took place Feb. 27–March 1 at the University of Idaho in Pocatello.

Cunningham was running indoor track with Gillette this winter, given that the option isn’t available in Newcastle. Though the Simplot Games are open to anyone, Gillette has its own qualifying standards, which Cunningham exceeded by clocking a mile time of 4:49 in his first indoor meet.

“I also ran a qualifying time in the two mile, but I opted to compete in the mile because I felt like I had a better shot at making the finals in the mile at the games,” Cunningham explained. “Also, both the mile and the two mile events were run on the same day, so that would make it hard to do well in both.”

Former Dogie Jacob Esposito competed with the Camels indoor program when he was in high school, and he was instrumental in hooking up Cunningham with the Gillette team.

“I really wanted to get ready for the outdoor season, so I was glad to have the opportunity to train with Gillette,” Cunningham said. “I compared the indoor state times to the times I ran at the Simplot Games, and I would have placed second in both the mile and the two mile. Even though those other times may improve, I think that I have a pretty good chance at doing well this year at the state meet.”

Competing in the Simplot Games was a surreal experience for Cunningham.

“It was absolutely phenomenal to be able to compete at the games, and it was really cool because that was the first time I’ve ever experienced running on a banked wooden track,” he said, grinning. “I remember walking in and the track was huge and the stadium was incredible. It was this big open area and it was amazing to be able to experience that.”

In the qualifying round, there were 20 heats of the mile, with faster runners competing in the earlier heats. Cunningham went in with a strong performance having a 4:38 seed time, earning him a spot in the fifth heat.

“I attacked the race very aggressively. Usually, I start off in the back and then catch people as the race goes on, but this time I ran a 34-second in my opening lap,” he said. “After the first lap, everyone slowed down a little bit, but I knew I had to keep pushing that pace if I wanted a shot at making finals.”

Cunningham pulled out in front of the pack and led the race until the final 50 yards.

“I ended up third in my heat when two runners were able to out-kick me with raw speed, but there was a pretty big gap between me and fourth place,” he said.

Cunningham finished 45th out of 380 competitors and ran a 4:34, which was a career best for him, however, he just missed making finals as the qualifying standard to advance was 4:31.

“Not only was that a personal best for me, it was also the fourth fastest time in Camel history and second in Newcastle history,” he said.

Though Cunningham was out of the running for the finals, he continued to support his teammates and enjoy the games.

“I got to see the meet record get set in the 4x800 meter relay, but the coolest thing was the girls 3200 meter run,” Cunningham said. “She had set a meet record last year with a 10:02, and this year she was shooting for a sub-10. She took off and was on pace the entire time to break the national record. By the end of the race, there wasn’t a single person sitting in their seats. They were all on their feet, cheering her on, and she broke the national record by a second. It was really cool to be a part of that.”

Not only was Cunningham grateful for the opportunity to reach goals he had previously set for himself, he also came away with inspiration to continue to strive for bigger achievements.

“I learned that we can push our bodies so much further than we think we can, we just have to train hard to get there. It’s just a mental game,” he said. “My goals for this track season include breaking the school record in the mile, which I’m only six seconds away from now, and if I’m able to do that, I also have a chance at winning state.”