Aiden Stout
Photo By: Reese Beasley
IG: @Captured.byreese
This week’s athlete of the week is Aiden Stout. Aiden is a senior at Durant, and he runs track & cross country.
His Personal Bests are:
1600 – 4:50
3200 – 10:03
5k – 16:36
How long have you been doing track and cross country?
I’ve done both track and cross country for all 4 years of high school.
Which of the two is harder and why?
I would say cross country is harder, specifically because of the heat. The training is easier than track but running a 5k in the fall when it’s 85 degrees with 100% humidity at 8 a.m. makes it a lot harder.
How often do you compete in these sports?
Cross country starts in the fall, and we typically have a meet every week or every other week. Track starts in the spring, and we usually compete about once a week, sometimes more.
What do you do to prepare yourself for a race before it starts?
Usually, before a race, I try to stay focused. I’ll warm up, stretch, listen to music, and mentally prepare myself for the race. I also make sure I’m hydrated and try not to overthink things before the start.
What advice would you give someone wanting to get into the sport?
I would say stay consistent with your training. That’s something I’ve really noticed in my own training, when I stay consistent, I improve more. Even if it’s not the same amount of mileage every day, just try your best to run consistently. Once you’ve done it long enough, it starts to get easier.
Is there an area in the sport that you want to improve on?
I want to improve more on my speed. I feel like I have my endurance down, but I need to keep working on running longer distances at faster paces.
Are you planning on running in college?
I am! I recently signed to continue both my academic and athletic careers at Southeastern University in Lakeland.
When you aren’t doing track or cross country, what do you do in your free time?
I usually work or do schoolwork. I try to stay busy with those three main things: running, working, and school.
