Carter Blunt (Frisco Independence, TX) has developed into the premier distance stand-out of the Lone Star State. The junior is a four-time Texas State Champion and earned All-American honors this past fall at both Foot Locker Nationals (13th) and Nike Cross Nationals (20th). He recently rose to the top of the national leaderboard with new personal records of 8:57.01 for 3,200m (US #2) and 4:12.46 for 1,600m (US #3). He will return to the Texas Relays this weekend to defend his 3,200m title.
MileSplit: Congrats on a strong start to your season! You dropped your personal record in the 1,600m from 4:14.91 to 4:12.46 and in the 3,200m from 9:03.10 to 8:57.01. Which performance meant the most to you and why?
Carter Blunt: Thank you! I couldn't have achieved those times without the great competition! Going into the meet, my goals were to run the 3,200m under 9 minutes and the 1,600m under 4:12. I'm very happy with both of my times, but I only accomplished one of my goals, which was the 3,200. I would have to say that the 3,200m meant the most to me just because I reached my goal and it was my first time to break 9.
How do you feel about your fitness at this point in the season?
I have been training this entire off season for the 5k in the Texas Distance Festival and just now started doing some harder workouts to train for the 3,200m. After Texas Relays, I will start working on the 1,600m. I'm not quite at peak fitness yet, but once I tie in the 1600m workouts, I should be ready to go!
What is a typical training week like? (the more details, the better!)
Each week is typically different, just because I go off of phases of the season. I typically start my season easy, and slowly progress my training so that I become stronger throughout the season. When it comes time for championship races I begin to taper or take my foot off the pedal so that I can stay well rested.
You opened your track season by winning the Texas Distance Festival 5k in 14:45.12. The same weekend in New York, Elijah Armstrong won the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championship in 14:41.72. Did you follow that race? How did it make you feel to know that you could have contended for a national title?
I actually watched it live! it was an amazing race! It's hard to tell, it's my understanding that indoor track is slower than an outdoor track, so it would be crazy to see what they would have ran outdoors! I definitely would have tried to stay up with them, but they both had an insane kick so it's hard to tell.
You experienced your first national level competition this past fall in earning All-American honors at both Foot Locker and Nike Cross, just one week apart. Was it your plan during the whole season to do the double?
Both races were an amazing experience and definitely an eye opener. I really enjoyed getting to finally race the kids that I had heard about my whole XC season! Coming up to the beginning of the season, I was going to just focus on NXR South because the course is so close to home. I felt like I had a better chance of making it out since I had ran the course as a freshman and sophomore. About halfway through my season, I felt like I should take a shot at Footlocker so that I could potentially experience both meets and choose which race I would focus on for my senior year.
Carter Blunt finished 13th in 15:32 for 5k at Foot Locker Nationals last fall to earn All-American honors.
How did you strategize your racing peak with Nike one week before Foot Locker, both of which were one month after the Texas State Championship?
It was very difficult to plan all that out. I had planned each workout so that I would have plenty of time to rest and recover before the big races.
Do you plan to go for the double again next year?
I plan to focus on one meet for my senior year, just because NXN and Foot Locker are so close to each other. It was difficult catching up with school missing two days out of the week for four weeks in a row.
After finishing 21st place the year before, Blunt won the 2014 Nike Cross Nationals South Regional Championship in 15:34.31 to advance to NXN, where he earned All-American honors with a 20th place, 15:46.0 performance.
You will aim to defend your 3,200m title in the Texas Relays this weekend in Austin. What does the Texas Relays mean to you and why is it such a special event?
Texas Relays is a very important meet for my season. It's almost like a check point to see how I am doing compared to the rest of the state of Texas. Living in the DFW area I see a lot of the same faces, but with a meet like the Texas Relays, it's nice to see some of the other athletes from around Texas (and neighboring states) to race them before state. It's a lot of fun to run at the University of Texas track and to compete against great athletes.
Do you have a strategy for this weekend?
I have thought of many different scenarios for how the meet may play out, but I can't spill all my secrets! (:
What are your long term goals for the rest of the outdoor season?
I would like to compete for a state title in the 1,600m and the 3,200m, as well as bring my times down for both events. My goals as far as time wise are to get close to a 4:05 in the 1,600m and an 8:50 in the 3,200. I am still very far from where I would like to be as far as my times go, but it's always good to set your goals high.
Do you plan to race New Balance Nationals?
I would love to participate in a national meet, however, I haven't really talked about it a whole lot with my family.
What is your athletic background and when did you first start running track?
I had never really been a runner growing up. I was always really big on playing basketball, football, and soccer. I started becoming fascinated in the sport once my brother had started running at his high school. I decided to do a few fun runs and 5k's growing up, but honestly never thought that I would choose it over my other sports. I didn't truly know how much I liked running until my first middle school meet. That's where I really developed an appreciation for the sport and learned to enjoy racing. Eventually my passion for running grew, and I decided to focus on it. When it came to high school, I knew that eventually I would need to make a decision on what sport would be best for me to concentrate on, and it was running.
Blunt burst onto the national scene when he won the Nike Cross Nationals South Regional in 15:34.31 for 5k.
When was the moment when you identified and became a "runner" as opposed to "a person who runs"?
I became a runner around the time of my 8th grade summer. I had just experienced a taste of track and XC from my 7th grade year. I had placed 3rd in all of my meets and I had became fed up with it. Once summer break had begun, I started to run some of the high school summer runs with my brother and sister and that's when it changed from being a hobby to a passion.
What is your most embarrassing athletics-related moment?
My most embarrassing athletics-related moment was during kindergarten tee-ball. I was never really a big fan of playing the sport. It was too slow paced, and my coach would always put me in the outfield. In kindergarten there was not a soul that could hit a ball to the outfield, so It was really boring. I decided that we needed to shake things up so the next time we were on the field, I had decided just to get the ball no matter what position I was in. My idea didn't go so well with the coach. He pulled me out from the game, and it was then that I retired from my career of Kindergarten tee-ball.
Blunt swept the Texas State Championship titles in cross country, the 1,600m and the 3,200m as a sophomore last year. He's already won the cross country title as a junior - can he follow up on the track this spring?
What is one thing that most people may not know about you?
My freshman year of High School, I almost chose becoming a kicker for football over Cross Country. You may not know it, but they call me the Dan Bailey of our generation.
Describe a perfect day in the life of Carter Blunt.
First I would wake up and go for a nice recovery run. When I get home, I would have a huge buffet all laid out for me. Once I was finished with that I would nap the rest of the day away (:
FUN STUFF!
Pre-race pump-up song: It changes practically every week, but right now its "I'd Love To Change The World" by Jetta.
Last movie you watched: Talladega Nights
Favorite book: The Outsiders
What's your spirit animal? I think about this question periodically, but it would have to be a coyote.
Go-to karaoke song: Sweet Child O' Mine
If you could have dinner with any 3 people, they would be... Coach Petty, Micheal Scott (from the Office), and Will Ferrell.
