Beginner to Champion

Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to do track & field? Have you ever wanted to try it but didn’t know how to get started? Track is one of the only sports where you can choose certain events that most grab your attention or that you would like to try out. Track is also a very competitive sport, and each event has a set of records. 

In order to get a better understanding of Track, I’ve interviewed Chace Kremply, a track & field athlete, to share his story and some experiences with track.

Chace: “When I was a 1 year old my dad introduced me to track and we went to my first track meet to run.”

Nalani: “Why did you start running for track?”

Chace: “My whole family is all track and nothing else, so I just wanted to do track as well.”

Training

To compete at a higher level in track & field, a lot of training is necessary, and should be repetitive. If you’re getting serious about track & field, it can be helpful to give yourself reminders to train and prepare for upcoming meets. Chace knows a lot about working towards a goal, and training for races.

Chace: “I do chain workouts two times a week, lift workouts three times a week, normal track workouts two times a week, football three times a week, basketball two times a week, and Cross Country meets once a week and I've been doing that since 2 years ago and I've already been seeing a ton of results.”

Each event has its own routine or system for developing the specific skills needed for that event. For runners, a training workout could look like doing intervals or HIIT runs (High Intensity Interval Training). An example for pole vault would be a series of step-ups onto a box 12–18 inches, running in place for ten seconds at a time, and short jump ups into a sand pit. Overall, training is crucial for proper performance, whether it’s running, jumping, or throwing.

Relays

For those who are talented at running, specifically sprinting, there is a certain run for the top fastest athletes on a team. The two most common relays are the 4x100 meter and the 4x400 meter. These are teams made up of four selected athletes, who have the fastest time out of the team. 

Breaking A Record

If there is one thing that lots of athletes focus on, it’s breaking a record. Chace Kremply is working towards a goal to beat an Olympic athlete’s best 800 meter run. Currently, Cooper Lutkenhaus holds the world record for the 800meter run. His PR (Personal Record) is 1:46.86, which he completed at Milrose Games in New York. Chace’s goal is to get a faster time, and break this world record.

Chace: “My dad thinks I'm good enough to go to the Olympics or go to the World Athletics when I'm 16 and break Cooper's record.”

I had asked him why track was so important to him, and that’s when he mentioned his dream of breaking Cooper Lutkenhaus’s current world record. 

Champions

Chace has been working towards his goal for two years now, and hopes to get faster, break a record, and go to the Olympics. 

Nalani: “Has becoming an Olympian been a dream for a while now?”

Chace: “It's been a dream for me since 2 years ago when I shook on it with my dad about him training me as hard as he could and hoping that I would make it to the Olympics.”

Nalani: “Why are you really into the 800?” 

Chace: “I'm really not but my dad and my mom have four years in a row for it and he thinks that I have a good enough potential to make it to the Olympics with it.”

Nalani: “How long do you hope to be doing track for?”

Chace: “I hope I do track for a while, at least 30 more years and I hope when I'm older I can teach my kids how to do what my dad is teaching me right now to help them out on what they're going to do later on in life.”

Overall, track & field is a sport where all athletes try to perform the best they can to get to the top, and is a great sport where people can make connections with others. Many people go for breaking a record or getting to the finals. After reading, just remember, you can become a champion.