Athlete of the Week: Ryan Manahan

Each week this pre-season, we will interview one of the top returners from New York state.  If you are or know of any athlete who fits this description, and is willing to give an interview, please email ny@milesplit.com

Photo Courtesy of Tim Fulton

For our Final week of Athlete of The Week on the boys side, we talked with Ryan Manahan.  He comes into his Junior season as the second fastest returner, behind Dan Galford.  He looks to battle Dan Lennon of Peru for the top spot at States in the Class B rankings.  His sophomore season highlighted by a 15:43, Ryan's firsthand knowledge of the States' course looks to aid him in his pursuit of a first place finish in his junior effort.

 

Give us a little background about how you discovered the sport.

When I was in Middle School my friends and I all participated in running club which was ran by some of the teachers at our school. We only ran maybe a half-mile twice a week but it was a good introduction of the sport. What actually got me to join cross-country was when I decided not to go out for the football team after the first year in 7th grade. After I realized how much I enjoyed running after that season, I never stopped.


How has your summer training been going? What have you done that makes you feel like you’re on the same level as compared to last year?

My summer training has been going great. The main thing that I’ve done this summer compared to the last two summers is I actually ran and followed my coached schedule. My past summers I slacked off, but I opened a new door and I’m hoping to find some good results.


Coming into the season, your ranked 2nd in the state. The position is mostly thanks to an impressive 15:43 at the Chittenango invitational. Does that position put any pressure on you come race season, especially being younger than most of your individual competition.

Yes, I believe that position puts quite a bit of pressure on me coming in to my junior year. I think that the fact that I’m younger than my competition takes some of the weight off my shoulders because I still have another year.
 

Last year, only as a sophomore, you placed 3rd in Class B States. Describe that experience to us.

Placing 3rd at the state meet was a wonderful experience. The best part about it was that I realized that I still had 2 year left of cross-country and that there was a lot of room for improvement. Placing 3rd also put a huge target on my back for track and cross-country this year.


At the Outdoor State Championships last spring, you also ran a very impressive 9:22 in the 3200m. How do you feel this impressive time will translate into Cross Country speed?

My 3200m time should help me a lot come Cross Country. It’s a race that requires a lot of endurance as well as speed. I’m looking to make big improvements this year and that is just one of the many things that will help me get there.


This year, the Cross Country States course is from your section, a course you have run on before. How do you feel this advantage will play into the competition?


I believe that is a huge advantage for me. I particularly like the course and am excited to race on it for States. The competition this year is going to be very good but I believe going into the State meet I’ll have an advantage.


What are your individual goals for this season? You have two years of Cross Country ahead of you, and already are ranked very highly in the state. Where do you go from here?

My individual goals are to keep myself as well as my team consistent throughout the whole season.  I want to reach my full potential as a runner and make sure after every race I can say that I did well. The next two years I’m going to set the bar very high for myself and see how much I can do.