Durant High’s boys cross country team did fairly well at the Saturday, Oct. 3, Don Bishop Invitational, finishing 11th in a field of 28 schools with at least five runners. It was a particularly good day for junior Haftom Fliegelman, who won the race with a time of 16:41.50. The next-closest finisher, Middleton’s Daniel Dean, finished over 30 seconds later.
How were things going for you that day?
(The course) was good. I felt good. I knew I was going to win.
What was the course like?
A little bit sandy, with wet grass. It was good, though.
Is this your first, first-place finish this year?
It’s my second one. I also placed first at the W.D. Johnson Invitational at East Bay.
How long have you been running?
Since freshman year.
What made you want to try running cross country?
Since I’m from Ethiopia, most athletes in my country are famous runners. I wanted to be like them.
When did you come to the United States?
2012.
What brought you here?
I got adopted.
How do you like the United States?
It’s good.
How are you doing in school this year?
Doing good. I’m trying my best to get my GPA up. I have a 2.7.
What’s your favorite subject?
Math.
Is there any sport you’ve never tried before that you’d be interested in?
Not really.
Who’s your favorite athlete of all time?
Haile Gebrselassie.
Could you tell me about him?
He grew up in the Ethiopia countryside. At the age of 16, he ran a marathon in two hours and 48 minutes. He moved to track and won the world championships, and he became famous. He’s good between track and marathons. He’s 40 years old and retiring this year.
If you could meet him, what would you want to do for a day?
I would want him to train me, and I would ask him how to be a great athlete.
Are there any areas where you feel you could improve?
In the future, I’d like to run marathons. So, I’d like for him to give me advice on how to do that.
Let’s say that you get real famous one day, and make $1 billion. What would you do?
I would want to help Ethiopian people. Poor people. I would support them. After that, I would build a hotel in Ethiopia and start a business there.
Let’s say you meet a kid who’s getting into running for the first time, and he asks for advice. What do you tell him?
First, don’t give up. Then, believe in yourself and train hard, eat well and sleep well. Get seven to eight hours.
Do you have any goals for yourself for this year?
My goal for cross country is to run under 16 minutes. Maybe 15 minutes. And, I want to place at the state meet in November.
How are you preparing for it?
I’m preparing well. I run maybe 80 to 90 miles per week, and I’m doing speed-walking stuff.