Episode 340: Herriman High Student is National Gatorade Player of the Year

Anthony Godfrey:
You are the first in Jordan School District.

Jackson Spencer:
I think it's pretty awesome just to be able to bring another level of excellence into this school district.

Anthony Godfrey:
How much do you run in a week?

Jackson Spencer:
In a week, at this point, probably around 50. Fifty miles a week.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fifty miles a week.

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah. I just like the feeling of pushing that body to the fastest limits.

Anthony Godfrey
Hello and welcome to The Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. You could say he was born to run with a high school career in cross country that is hard to beat. On this episode of The Supercast, meet Herriman High School's Jackson Spencer, who was recently named the National Gatorade Player of the Year in Boys Cross Country. Find out what sets Spencer apart from others in his sport, and how his love for running is paving a path for future success, quite possibly in the Olympics.

Anthony Godfrey
We are here today at Herriman High School talking with Jackson Spencer, the Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. Jackson, thanks for taking a few minutes to talk with us.

Jackson Spencer:
Of course, yeah. Thanks for having me.

Anthony Godfrey
Tell me what it feels like to be the National Gatorade Player of the Year. You are the first in Jordan School District.

Jackson Spencer:
I think it's pretty awesome just to be able to bring another level of excellence into this school district, and to be able to set the bar just a little bit higher.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, you had a race just this last weekend where you conquered once again. Talk to us about that.

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, it was super fun. I was up against a lot of good competition from Utah and Idaho, and it's at the Simplot Games, which I really like. But yeah, it was kind of a race for me to just see back into what fitness I was in. I think it actually went really nicely, way better than I expected, so it went well.

Anthony Godfrey:
So how did it go better? Just ultimate time? I know with cross country it's always about the course and the course conditions, and the competition and all of that. Talk us through the race a little bit.

Jackson Spencer:
The time, I think it's more about time on the track. Yeah, I put down a consistent solid effort, and I was able to go out and hold it, which I'm really happy about. I got a really good time better than what I was expecting.

Anthony Godfrey:
Could you see the people behind you coming in second, or how far ahead? What were you?

Jackson Spencer:
Well, after I finished, I looked back and saw them coming in.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you had a good little distance between you and the next kids down the road. What do you do to prepare for a race? What do you do to be at your best and be ready to go?

Jackson Spencer:
I'll make sure to get a really good night's sleep for 9 to 10 hours, and then I'll make sure I eat. I always eat oatmeal, and then I'll do this thing that I'll drink. It's called beetroot powder. I drink that, and it's better. It's good for oxygen consumption in the blood.

Anthony Godfrey:
Beetroot powder?

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, beetroot powder. Its got lots of nitrates.

Anthony Godfrey:
I've seen the Tik Tok videos, but you're much more persuasive. So you do beetroot powder, oatmeal, and 9 to 10 hours of sleep. Is it ever hard to make sure you get that sleep if you're anticipating a race and thinking it through, or are you well trained at getting good rest as well?

Jackson Spencer:
I've been to a few of these races, but there's definitely some times when it's just I get too excited to go to sleep, but most of the time I can get some good rest. After that, I will eat my lunch, and then I've got my race.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, the Gatorade Award, does that include having blue Gatorade dumped on top of you when I give you the trophy?

Jackson Spencer:
I'm really glad that they didn't do that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you probably could have run very quickly and gotten away from them after trying to do that. Tell me about receiving the award. You received it from an Olympic runner.

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, Grant Fisher. I think, if I'm not mistaken, he held a world record in the 3K, which is really cool. Or it might have been the 2-mile.

Anthony Godfrey:
You have your eye on the Olympics, I assume.

Jackson Spencer:
Of course.

Anthony Godfrey:
And talk to us about the timeline for that. How will that work for you?

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah. So I'm going to be going on a mission after I graduate high school. So yeah, that'll be two years. And then the first Olympic cycle, there'll be an Olympic cycle literally right off of my mission, which I don't think I'll make just because I'll be on a lack of training and of experience as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
I mean, if you stay with your companion, you can only run as fast as he can run. So that's going to slow you down significantly.

Jackson Spencer:
A little bit.

Anthony Godfrey:
So there will be the opportunity right after your mission, potentially.

Jackson Spencer:
And then there's the way more realistic opportunity right after college four years later. I think that's 2032 Olympics. Yeah, I'm going to be shooting for those ones. That'll be right after I graduate college.

Anthony Godfrey:
And age-wise and timing-wise, is that about the right time for you to be competing?

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, I think I'd be 24.

Anthony Godfrey:
So for those runners out there, talk to me about the different events that you compete in with track and with cross-country and the different distances and where you're really at your best.

Jackson Spencer:
So I can do a lot of different distances, or at least I've done a lot of different distances, anywhere from like the 400 all the way up to the, I've done the 8K for a race so far. So I'll start small, like the 400, that's a sprint event. That's one lap around the track. I only do it usually in relays when my team needs me. 48.6 for that. I got the 800, that one is, that's a two-lap race. It's a sprint, but it's like really a hard to maintain sprint. So yeah, you get two, I already said that, two laps on the track. And then I usually do that one for some open and then also lots of relays. And then my time for that is 149.9. Then I got the mile or like the 1600. It's more common, 1600 in high school. That's four laps around the track. That's the one where everyone tries to break four. And my time in that right now is four flat.

Anthony Godfrey:
Four flat. So is that your goal to cut it right below four?

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you ever done that outside of competition?

Jackson Spencer:
Oh no, only in, see, up at altitude it's a lot harder to run that fast. My best time was down at sea level where there's more oxygen in the air to consume. So yeah, I train up here so it's really hard to do such a thing. But we'll see maybe this year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Maybe this year. I like your chances. So being in Utah, the thin air really prepares you so that when you're at sea level, you're at your best.

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And so your goal is under four at the 1600. Is 1600 the same as a mile? I

Jackson Spencer:
The mile is about eight meters longer so it's like a second. My best mile is 4:02.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Close.

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, and then I got the 3200 which is, that's eight laps around the track. That's pretty much like a long-distance event or, yeah, it's long distance to me at least. And then that was...

Anthony Godfrey:
And what's your time for eight laps?

Jackson Spencer:
8:50 that I actually just got at Simplot. That was my personal best.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And any time you're racing, you're racing against the other people on the track or on the course, but you're also trying for your best time ever, right? Your personal best.

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, and then, so 5K, I've only done that... Well, on track I've only done that a few times, but my best on the track is 14:15. That's like... I did it on an indoor track so that's actually 25 laps.

Anthony Godfrey:
25 laps?

Jackson Spencer:
On a normal track it's 12 and a half.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Jackson Spencer:
And then in cross country my best, I did it on the California State course. I did 14:16. I actually took the record.

Anthony Godfrey:
So really it's, am I beating the people that are on the track? Am I earning a personal best and am I breaking the record?

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really you've got a lot of different times you're racing against. I'm getting a little short of breath just listening to these times and listening to these distances. It's pretty incredible. When did you first realize that you were a talented runner?

Jackson Spencer:
I'd say sixth grade when I started out. I did it. I was really small, but I was competing against...

Anthony Godfrey:
Was it like a three-legged race and you're like, "Hey, if we didn't have the sack and this kid tied to me, I think I could do really well."

Jackson Spencer:
No, it was just a normal cross-country race. So, yeah, it was in the middle school from... I lived in Massachusetts at the time, so the middle school was six to eight. I was this little kid going against all these big kids and we had a time trial that was the first day of running. I got seventh on their team. I was like, "I want to stay on this. I want to race varsity." I was super excited to start running.

Anthony Godfrey:
So as a sixth grader, what grade were the other kids you were racing with?

Jackson Spencer:
Anywhere from six to eight, but I think the ones that I was racing were seventh and eighth.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you saw, "Hey, wait a minute. I'm pretty good at this and I want to keep doing it." What do you love most about running?

Jackson Spencer:
I just like the feeling of pushing my body past its limits, honestly. That's my favorite part.

Anthony Godfrey:
How much do you run in a week?

Jackson Spencer:
In a week? At this point, probably around 50 miles a week.

Anthony Godfrey:
50 miles a week?

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Does that vary depending on whether you've got a competition? Do you lower that in advance of a competition or how do you pace that out?

Jackson Spencer:
We actually raised it a couple of weeks before the competition. We'll go up to 60, maybe even 70, but then we'll go down the week of the competition to 50 to 40.

Anthony Godfrey:
I never run over 70 miles a week. I always keep it below 70.

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, that's fair. I've never ran over 70, I don't think.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's my policy as well. Just better for me not to run over 70.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stick around. When we come back, we will talk with cross-country sensation Jackson Spencer about his future plans.

Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of The Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Sandy Riesgraf:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what you prefer. You've got outdoor cross-country courses, indoor track, outdoor track. Where do you really enjoy running the most?

Jackson Spencer:
It's a mix up between indoor and outdoor. Or no, not indoor and cross-country Yeah, I really, really like cross-country just because of the freeness you get while running on the cross-country course. And then I also really like indoor track because it's got such a big ambiance. Everyone's yelling at you and it's so loud and it's just so fun to run through it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Does that impact your running when you know people are cheering for you and you can hear them in the background?

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, if you're on the verge of a record and you hear people cheering for you, it just makes it so much easier to go and makes it so much more motivating to go after it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's exciting. Tell me about your parents, how, either of them runners or...

Jackson Spencer:
No, but my dad was a really good swimmer in high school. I think he only did it his freshman year or maybe his sophomore year, but he really enjoyed it just because he liked swimming. He was always really good in the time trials as well. He was one of the top guys on the team as a freshman. And then he moved and his new swimmers weren't so nice to him, so he kind of stopped that. But then, yeah, I think he's able to see what he could have done through me, so it's really cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's exciting. And you have to get up a lot earlier as a swimmer than you do as a runner. What's your routine? Do you run in the morning and evening or how does that work?

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, I do run twice a day usually. I'll wake up at around seven-ish to go run and then I'll go to school and then I'll come back and then run at three.

Anthony Godfrey:
I understand that you have a scholarship to Brigham Young University coming up. What made you choose Brigham Young?

Jackson Spencer:
Well, first of all, I was actually born in Provo, so yeah, that's kind of my hometown college. They have a really good coach and a really good program and lots of good kids going there.

Anthony Godfrey:
I hear they're top ten a lot of the time.

Jackson Spencer:
Oh, yeah, definitely up there.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you know and like the coach?

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, Eyestone is a great guy.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm sure he's very excited to have you come.

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, I hope so.

Anthony Godfrey:
And so you have BYU coming up, Olympic ambitions. What does the rest of the year hold for you?

Jackson Spencer:
In terms of like racing?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jackson Spencer:
I should be at, so my next race will be New Balance Indoor Nationals. And then, yeah, I'll do the 5K there and then I'll do my big races. It'll probably be Arcadia Invite. I'll probably do the 3200 there and then the Portland Jesuit Nike invite. I don't know what it's called, but that's kind of what it's called. And then I'll try to break four in a mile there if that's what Coach will let me do. And then, yeah, I think my next big one will be New Balance Outdoor Nationals. So those are kind of my big meets that I'll be going to.

Anthony Godfrey:
On top of all that, you have a high GPA. School's going great. It's very impressive that you're able to juggle everything and keep everything going.

Jackson Spencer:
Yeah, thanks.

Anthony Godfrey:
What kind of career are you looking at?

Jackson Spencer:
I'm really interested in architecture, actually. So I think it's really neat to... Ever since I was a little kid, I always found it neat to see how houses were built and how they were designed. And that's just kind of been my passion. So even though it's kind of hard work, I'll try and pursue it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's great. That's exciting. And you'll get to drive by and say, "I helped build that. I designed that." Well, we're thrilled to have you in Jordan and really proud of your success and I can't wait to see what comes next. So thank you very much for taking time with us. I know you've got to run. Okay, I just had to say that. And get to class. But we really appreciate your time. And like I said, very proud of all your accomplishments. Keep up the great work.

Jackson Spencer:
Of course. Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, “Education is the most important thing you will do today.” We'll see you out there.