Jonathan Nelson
Sr., Timpview H.S.
Provo, UT
Highlights: Competing in only his second full cross country season, Nelson (AZRunners.com photo by Margot Kelly) dominated at the Southwest Region Championships placing 2nd overall, in one of the fastest times in course history, 15:15. 7 … Nelson breezed through the Utah state course in 15:17 to win his second straight 4A title, one of the top five individual performances all-time … Won the BYU Invitational … Placed first (15:51) at the Bob Firman Invitational, where he defeated US#1 North Central's standout Andrew Kimpel, who recently placed 4th in the NXN Northwest Region Championship … Nelson will head to Portland, hoping to add a National Championship to the state titles he has already earned.
Coach (Monte Marshall) says: “Jon is obviously naturally gifted. He’s very talented. But there have been talented runners that don’t know how to push themselves to the extreme that Jon knows how to do. I think Jon’s greatest strength is that he knows how to push himself to an extreme without collapse. He has exceeded my expectations, although I am not surprised, because I know the kind of runner he is. Halfway through the season, my expectations obviously increased as I saw his performance in Boise at the Bob Firman Invitational. I got a better glimpse into his potential after that race.”
Nelson says: “I am very happy. Things wound up better than I expected. I was hoping to retake my old title and just kind of do my best. I was [reluctant] to run at first. Every time I showed up, I hurt really badly the next three or four days. It took me a while to get used to it, I suppose. I’m grateful I’m doing it now. I don’t know what I would be like if I didn’t run. It changed me as a person in general. It has allowed me to do a lot of other things that weren’t as easy when I wasn’t a runner. It’s boosted my confidence a lot. It’s showed me that I could do hard things, so I can really focus and apply myself in other areas besides running.”
Summer mileage (max): 50
Weekly mileage: 50
Training shoes: Karhu M2
Superstitions: None
Hobbies: Frisbee, mountain biking, hiking
Favorite school subject: Chemistry