Junior Reed Brown of Southlake Carroll has been recognized on MileSplit's Kick of the Week a few times for his gutsy closing speed. Last Sunday, he used that kick to his best results yet, as he dropped his PR from 4:16 to 4:09.95 to win the slow section of the Championship Mile. The time stood as the fastest of the day and Brown earned his first national title after the winner of the fast section, Gavin Gaynor, ran 4:10.02. Jojo from MileSplit talked to Brown immediately after his race, before he found out he won the national title. See what his initial thoughts were in the transcribed interview below and watch the interview video by scrolling to the bottom. You can also watch him race LIVE on MileSplit tomorrow, Saturday, March 19, at 9am CT in the DMR and 2:15pm CT in the 800m here.
MileSplit: You just won the first section of the Boys Mile. 4:09. What was your strategy today?
Reed Brown: Just stick onto the leaders as long as possible. Try to use them to help me to run fast in the race and rely on my kick at the end to help me out.
You went out with the main pack but there was another guy [Brandon Tubby] about 10-15 meters ahead of you guys the whole race. Were you concerned about him at all?
Not really, until the other guy passed us towards the end and he started to get a little farther away. So I started to pick it up and close the gap.
That was a pretty wild kick [Reed would come from 100m behind to win the section, 4:09.95 to 4:10.64]. Were you confident at the bell that you'd be able to catch up to him?
Yeah, I felt like I kept my striking distance so I felt pretty confident.
How are you feeling about this time right now?
I feel really good, it's a big PR for me so I feel really good right now.
What was the goal for today?
4:10.
Now, 4:09 in the slower section could stand to win. The fastest guys, that's about what they run. Is that something you're thinking about right now?
Yeah, a little bit, but there's a lot of good guys in that heat so it'll be close.
And you said you came in, your best time was 4:16.
Yeah.
Going into the race, where you thinking, what can I do to maybe place [or] to run a fast enough time to compete with those guys in the faster section later?
Yeah, I mean, I was a little disappointed I wasn't in the faster one just because I would go a little faster so that would help me a little bit more but I'm really happy right now with my time and how I placed overall.
How eager are you gonna be to watch the final race?
Pretty eager. I know some of the guys out there so I'll be rooting them on, too, but still hoping I can still make one of those All-American spots.
Where are you gonna watch it from?
Probably in the stands. Might as well stick around since I'm on vacation right now for the first time in New York. It's a pretty cool experience.
First time in New York?
Yes.
What do you think of it?
It's really cool, it's a lot different from where I'm from. I'm not from a big city, more like the suburbs, so it's pretty cool walking around, seeing all the big buildings and all the people.
Where in texas are you from?
Southlake.
When you get back to Texas, what's next for you?
After this, I'm going to North Carolina for a little bit and then I'm gonna head back on Wednesday or Thursday.
Is this your spring break?
Yes.
Nice, convenient. Congratulations!
