Interview with SHS Track & Field Athlete Keegan Freyhof
Welcome back to the Spring Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I am featuring an athlete of both the fall and spring seasons. Keep reading to learn more about one of Springboro’s best runners.
Meet Springboro High School Cross Country & Track Runner Keegan Freyhof…
Track story:
Track versus cross country:
Keegan is exceptional at track and cross country and loves them both, but I had to ask him if he had a favorite! He prefers cross country for a couple reasons. First off, “it’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun.” Between the 5K in cross country and the different races he runs in track, Keegan’s favorite is the 5K. He told me stories about many different race locations he’s competed at and explained how he loves the variability. He also prefers the 5K because when facing off against the fastest runners in the region, Keegan can’t always start out as fast as them. He has roughly a two second gap to make up, and he’s much better at closing this gap in cross country than he is in track.
Keegan’s biggest challenge:
Keegan’s biggest challenge is consistency. He told me that he was slightly inconsistent with his times during his cross country season, so this really pushed him to be more consistent during his track season. When he set his mile PR at Miamisburg, Keegan was determined to be consistent with that the rest of the season so he could keep performing at a highly competitive level.
How Keegan pushes himself to break his records:
Keegan pushes himself physically through plenty of training. But he told me that it really all comes down to confidence. He could train day in and day out, but Keegan breaks his records and competes at the level that he does because he has confidence in himself. Throughout the race, he tells himself to push through to the end
because he knows he is physically capable; it is a largely mental competition.
Keegan’s pre-meet ritual:
On race day, Keegan typically does a little bit of research. He looks at the times of the other runners he is competing against to gauge where he should be throughout the race. Keegan told me that at this point in his running career, he is pretty familiar with most of the runners that he goes up against; however, he also noted that he typically competes better when he doesn’t know who he is racing against. Prior to races, Keegan also warms up and says a prayer. In addition to these things, Keegan works to make sure he is focusing on helping his body recover with proper nutrition and sleep.
Keegan’s favorite memories from this past season:
One of Keegan’s favorite memories from this past season was setting his PR at Miamisburg. Although he competes in largely individual sports, Keegan is a great team player. His other favorite memories are from when he was not actually running but when he went to cheer on his teammates. Keegan said, “you’re always racing to do your best, but there’s also a bunch of other people around you and other good athletes, and you want to see them do their best.”
Keegan’s advice for track athletes:
Three simple words: “stick with it.” He wants to remind other runners that it could be 90 degrees and you could be running on a black track, but you have to work to build up your mental endurance. Keegan said that when you stick with it and focus on mental endurance, “you’ll be better for it.” Keegan also advises runners to focus on the work outside of practice. This means taking nutrition, sleep, and the 22 hours a day you’re not at practice into consideration.
Congrats to Keegan on amazing track and cross country seasons this year and best of luck for his senior seasons!
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