Friday Focus: Taylor McLaughlin

Taylor McLaughlin ran a 33.85 300m to rank US #2 and is entered in the heavily anticipated Invitational Boys 300m at the Armory Track Invitational tomorrow, where many expect the National Record of 33.05 to go down. McLaughlin knows a thing or two about running a fast quarter, as he has anchored Union Catholic to multiple National Championship titles and holds a PR of 46.81. But he can't wait until springtime, where he can roll in his favorite event - the 400-meter hurdles, in which he has a PR of 51.69 from 2013.

What is your strategy for the Boys Invitational 300m at the Armory Track Invitational this weekend?

My strategy is simply to go out with the fast competitors around me and to not get left behind off the second turn. Since I usually do not get out well, I need to try my best and go out with everyone else.

Will you race any other events?

I will be racing the 4x400 the night before.

The National Record for 300m is 33.05. Much has been discussed about the record possibly going down this year with so many great long sprinters. What does that time mean to you? What's your prediction?

I do not know if I can break the national record. The time I am shooting for is the state record of 33.50ish. And as for a prediction of the race, I have no idea. It could all go great, or not. I just want to run to the best of my ability, and PR if possible.

Tell us about your college decision-making process. What other schools did you visit and how did you decide on Michigan?

My selection process consisted of discerning which schools had a balance of great academics, a good school environment, and a track team. I did not particularly mind if the track team was not a leading team. I simply wished to go to a great school and get a great education. Therefore, I created a small list of schools that I looked into. Those schools consisted of Stanford, University of Michigan, Princeton, Boston University, and Harvard. I officially visited Princeton, Stanford, and Michigan, while unofficially visiting the other two. Based on my visits I was able to tell which schools gave me a good vibe, and which did not. I liked all the schools, and all of their coaches, however only Michigan really stood out for me. It had a big campus, great academics in my major of mechanical engineering, and a track team that determined to move up amongst the ranks.

What advice would you offer younger athletes going through the college recruitment process?

I would advise younger athletes to be realistic, and not bet their future on their athletic abilities. If they are blessed in their lives and are able to go to school for sports, that is great. However, academics outweigh sports any day. Once my legs burn out and I run my last 400, I will have my education to lean back on. I would finally be able to begin a career that I will be able to continue until retirement. Therefore, athletes should acknowledge that their abilities are gifts, and that they could lose them at any time. So they should plan to have a good career once they finish running.

What was your favorite moment from last year's track season?

My favorite moment from last year was watching my sister steal the first place spot in the Swedish Relay at outdoor nationals. I was on the infield, about 10 meters from the track and it was awesome to see her just swoop in and steal away the spot from her competitor at the line. It was an exciting race.

Do you race cross country? How does XC help you prepare for track?

I race cross country on the junior varsity team. It helps lay a good foundation for the rest of my year in track as long as I don't run too many miles. XC allows me to lose any fat I've gained over the summer break, and it is a good shake out for the upcoming winter track season.

What's your training like right now? How do you feel about your fitness?

Training is solid. It consists of a lot of lactic acid threshold training, and less speed work. I feel as though my fitness is probably around 60-70% right now. There is a lot more work I need to do in order to run faster times, but unfortunately I do not get into that training until later on in my season. Since my training is geared more towards the outdoor season, I usually do not run as fast as I could if my training was structured differently.

What are the best and worst aspects about training through the cold winter in NJ?

The worst aspect about winter training is that we are forced to run in the hallways of our school. Our hallways are tiled and hard, and they are not a safe of comfortable surface to run on. Last year I suffered from bone marrow edema in both of my shins, and it was caused by excessive running on those floors. However, this problem has been solved due to our school purchasing thin sheets of rubber track, which we now lay on the floors and run on. They significantly decrease the impact from running in the halls.

What is your favorite event?

My favorite event is the 400 intermediate hurdles. It's my favorite because it is conducted at a much slower pace than the 400, and it incorporates hurdles! Although it is significantly harder than the 400, it is a really fun race to run.

Do you expect your relays to perform as well this season as last year? Do you have a lot of returners to the squad or will this be a rebuilding year?

It is hard to compare this year to last year, since we lost almost all of our main squad. This year's squad will be almost completely new faces. The times will not be the same as last year, no; however, this is still going to be a big year for these kids. This is the year where they will gain the experience necessary to run nationally ranked relays, so hopefully they can be serious contenders next year.

What are your goals for the season? Do you plan to attend New Balance Indoor Nationals?

I personally wish to run as fast as I can in the open 400 and 300. I have no set goals for either, I simply wish to run fast. I will most likely be participating in the 400 and New Balance Nationals, and there is a great likelihood I may lose. As an athlete I think it is important to acknowledge the fact that you may lose. So, my goal for nationals is to compete to the best of my abilities. That all.

We hear that your sister, Sydney, is an outstanding athlete as well. Were your parents track athletes in high school/college? Are the McLaughlins a track family?

My father and mother both ran in their lives. However, it was my father who really pursued track. He ran in college for Manhattan, and even made an attempt at the Olympic Trials in the 400. Although we get our athletic genes from both of our parents, the 400 genes come primarily from our father.

What's the dynamic like between you and Sydney? Do you get along and encourage each other or do you have a bit of healthy sibling rivalry?

There has never been a rivalry with our track accomplishments. If anything we barely talk about them. Instead we do our best to annoy each other as much as possible. We are simply sibling who encourage each other when necessary, and make fun of each other the rest of the time.

What other sports did you play growing up and how/why did you decide to focus on track?

I played basically every recreational sport my hometown had to offer. I played soccer, basketball, and baseball. I was pretty big on soccer for a while when I was younger, and I even played my freshman year of high school. However, from a young age I also did club track. My sister and I would run at AAU and USATF meets during our summer vacation, and enjoy traveling from meet to meet. We only really decided to focus on track once reaching the high school level. That's when we both started to take the sport more seriously.

Do you have any weird pre-race rituals?

The only pre-race ritual I have is that I pray at least 5 times before any race. The number doesn't mean anything, I just pray a lot when I am more nervous. I have a strong faith, and that is a big part of my life and my sport.

Quick Answers!

What's your favorite pre-race meal? Anything that isn't super greasy! For example, plain pasta with parmesan cheese on top. What's your pre-race pump-up song? Anything.
If you could work out with any athlete, it would be... Edwin Moses, so I could get his advice on how to run the 400 hurdles.
The last book you read: My most recent read was the Maze Runner trilogy, which was phenomenal.
Your favorite movie: Its hard to say what my favorite movie is, but I really enjoy The Matrix and The Fifth Element. They are both movies my father and I constantly watch.
What did you eat for breakfast this morning? I had oatmeal for breakfast this morning.
Your childhood dream: My childhood dream has always been to be a mechanical engineer and to conduct research and development. In which I would create machines and devices of my own design.