AZ XC Athlete Spotlight 2020: Justin Pace


Sunrise Mountain's cross country boys are lead by Justin Pace. Justin is a strong runner and his currently the #28 fastest cross country boy in all of Arizona. In Division II, he is ranked #8 and is also the #17 ranked senior in all of Arizona as well.

Justin took the time to answer some questions for us about himself and the season thus far - here are his responses:


What are your XC goals for this season?

I want to be top 5 at state


What has been the strangest thing about training for XC during the pandemic?

Probably warming up and cooling down with masks.


Who is your toughest competition?

Randy Espinoza


How are you liking racing in these waves at meets this season?

Racing in waves allows me to focus on improving my personal times and competing with my teammates.

What is the biggest difference you in racing last year to this year?

I don't enjoy racing in waves. It separates the best runners so they can't compete. 

I'm trying to race smarter. Trying to always have someone faster than me that I can run behind and use their momentum.


Who is your biggest fan/supporter? How do he/she/they show you this support?

My dad. Whenever he can, he is always at my races. He plans out how to get to the most places possible to cheer me on at a race.


How was your summer training affected by Covid this summer? What was similar from previous years? What was different about it?

We had to take a long break as a team over the summer, so training was up to us.


How long have you been running? What do you enjoy most about running/xc?

I started running in 5th grade. The thing I enjoy most about XC is the feeling of accomplishment after completing a hard workout or running a good race.


Is there a song, movie, show, or saying that motivates you or keeps you focused on your goals? If yes, what is it and why?

No


What's your pre-race meal?

I don't focus much on what I eat which is terrible, but I do make sure I eat 3 hours before my race and then hydrate as much as I can.


Do you have any superstitions before the night of a race? (Any clothing you have to wear? Song you have to listen to? Food you need to eat? Etc.) If yes, how did this start?

Yes, on the day of the race I make sure to never put my shorts on one leg at a time. The expression of putting your pants on one leg at a time is used to illustrate that a person is just like everybody else. I don't want to be like everybody else on race day, so I jump into my shorts.


Anything else you wish to share with us that you think is important for our readers to know?

I'm way better than Braedon Palmer.