Jefferson Forest junior Matt Kadak was interviewed by MileStat.com staff writer Ryan Call shortly after Kadak outkicking Caleb Hughes of Christiansburg for a 1 second win at the Runnin\' With The Wolves Invite in a season and course best time of 16:56. Kadak finished fifth in last year\'s AA state cross country race as a sophomore.
MileStat.com: Congratulations on your win today. This is sort of a home course to you. Did you feel like you had an edge?
Kadak: At first I did because we have raced here already three times this season. I know how I\'m suppose to feel at certain points of the course. I know what my pace and time should be at certain points, so I feel like we have a little bit of an edge because I know the hills and the turns.
I like it, but its hard. It definitely is a true cross country course because there is no concrete and all grass, mud, and hills. I would say its my favorite course since I have had some good memories out here. It really is just true cross country. You are not running at a school or anything like that. The scenery and where its located at are great.
MileStat.com: Great finish. Can you talk about coming down that final stretch 15 meters behind Caleb Hughes?
Kadak: When we came up the last hill over there that we call \"cruel\" because it definitely has a very steep grade to it with 800 meters to go, he started to pull away at the hill and I didn\'t really think I was going to catch him. He got to the top before I did and started to pull away on the way down. As I made my way, I increased my pace going down and saw he was hurting a little bit and the gap was closing. I decided to give just what I had left in the tank and sprinted it in.
MileStat.com: A one point team loss must have been rough. Especially with your edge out a the end. How can you prepare as a team for a rematch with Christiansburg at Region III and states?
Kadak: This upcoming Wednesday we have our district meet and right now we are beginning to taper a little bit, so we don\'t burn out too early. Our coach trains us to peak at the state meet and not any earlier than that. We are going to work hard, but not as hard. We\'ve gotten our miles in and our training in. We just need to stay fresh
MileStat.com: 16:56 is a good time on such a challenging course. Mike Spooner has the course record at 16:25. Did you think you had this kind of a performance in you today?
This was been my best time all season and best time I\'ve ever run here. For the past couple of years that we have been coming here and having this big invite, I haven\'t really been racing as well as I wanted to. I don\'t know why. I guess it has been just all in my head, but this is definitely the best race I\'ve had here at the invitational or any of our district meets. Mike Spooner\'s time, heh, I don\'t know he did that, but he was flying last year.
MileStat.com: What are your goals and plans for the rest of the season in the next month or so with obviously districts, regions, states, and maybe Foot Locker?
Kadak: Well in cross country a lot of times things don\'t go exactly the way you wanted them to. One week someone can be on top and next week someone totally different. My plans are hopefully to come out and win the district meet. At the regional meet, I\'d hope to finish somewhere in the top five. Region III exploded over the summer. There is Caleb, the kid from Northside, Pete Dorrell, and Tim Smith, so Region III is going to be tough. Its on a flat course, so I\'m just going to go for a PR.
States is going to be crazy at Great Meadows. I finished fifth last year and I ran 16:13, so my plan is to finish somewhat better than I did last year. At the state meet, time usually isn\'t a thing for me. When I was a freshmen I ran 17:20 something and last year ran 16:13, so you never know. I am going for somewhere in the top five. It is going to be tough. I think the past couple of years, Virginia just keeps getting better and better. I am just going to go nuts and try to get somewhere in the top five.
After states, I\'ll keep on training and go to Foot Locker. I\'m going to run the seeded race. The past two years, I\'ve run the sophomore and freshmen race. I\'ve finished in the top ten in both, which was been nice. I\'ll run into the seeded race and go for a PR on a fast course and see how I can finish with the rest of the South region.