Interview: Foot Locker finalist Thomas Porter

Five high school cross country runners from Virginia flew out to San Diego today to compete this weekend in the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships. Four of them are rookies to the event and will certainly be overwhelmed and likely distracted with the new experience between their stay at the famous Del Coronado hotel, beautiful SoCal weather, the beach, the ice skating rink, all of the free gear, meeting elite professional and high school runners, and the nerves of racing against the 40 best runners in the country on Saturday at Balboa Park.

Nothing this weekend will be new for Thomas Porter (pictured right by John Herzog) though as a three-time finalist for the Foot Locker Nationals. Porter had fell short on several occassions of winning that first state title until this past November with his victory in the AAA race at Great Meadows. With the pressure of winning his first state championship off his back, he now turns his attention to the Foot Locker finals, where he h...