Our Mid-Week Interview with Alex Maier earlier this season
With the State Meet less than a month away and many seniors finishing their final season of High School Cross Country, we decided to highlight one runner who we think will take over as the Top Runner in the State of Texas for the 2017-18 School Year. Alex Maier is that runner.
Alex started his High School Cross Country career off like most, on the school's JV team. But after he got 5th place in his first race, Coach Cook of Flower Mound High School realized Alex's potential. He moved Alex up to the Varsity team in the next meet he ran. Running in the Boys Varsity Open division, he placed 12th in his 2nd ever high school cross country meet. Since then Alex has developed as a runner more than most people do in such a short time period.
Now as a Sophomore, Alex is placing in the top 2 in virtually every meet he's been in this season. If Alex continues his progression, he will be the top runners in not only the State of Texas but one of the top runners in the Nation. Alex dominates all of the runners in his class in the State of Texas by at least 30 seconds and continues to compete against the best runners. Currently ranked #22 in the nation, Alex shows that being a sophomore means he will only have more time to take the title as #1 in the nation.
As a sophomore, none of the other top 5 runners have shown such amazing times like Alex has shown. Looking specifically at the two runners currently above Alex, Sam Worley, and Reed Brown, Sam had a PR of 15:17.09 his sophomore year and Reed had a PR of 15:37.6 in his. Currently, Alex's PR is 14:43.27 and the season still isn't over. Alex doesn't just show up, run and then hang out the rest of the week. In order to perform at the level he does, you have to put in the time.
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14:41.11 | 2017 | 1st | |
| 2 | 14:41.56 | 2017 | 1st | |
| 3 | 14:43.27 | 2019 | 2nd | |
| 4 | 14:45.60 | 2017 | 1st | |
| 5 | 14:56.71 | 2018 | 3rd |
During the Cross Country season, Alex runs at least 60 miles a week and does workouts with his team on Mondays and Wednesdays. During the offseason, Alex runs 70 or more miles a week slowly shortening his total run time to help increase his speed and endurance. He also eats a healthy diet to stay in top shape for cross country. Alex told us in his interview earlier this season that the way he increases his speed is by running longer distances a week at a faster speed.
Alex is dedicated to his Cross Country career, and if he keeps progressing the way he has been, he will soon be a name known across the nation. We will be keeping a close eye on Alex as the championship season kicks into full gear this week, we recommend you do too!
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