Athabasca runner Jakob Finney, age 16, placed fourth in the 3,000-metre race and sixth in the 1,500-metre race during senior high track and field provincials in Calgary on June 6 and 7.
“The 3,000 was in the morning. It was the very first event. It was against really great competition — against the best in the province,” said Finney. “I placed fourth out of 16 other runners. I was quite happy with that. It was for junior boys, which is Grade 10 and age 16.”
When asked about training, Finney said he mostly did outdoor track.
“You do a lot of quick repeats,” he said. “I usually train over the distance in workouts. I can cover up to six to 10 kilometres depending on the workout.”
Finney said he has always been a runner. Before he started running for sport, he was a soccer player.
“I started running competitively in Grade 8 against other runners in cross-country,” he said. “I plan to continue running for the rest of my life.”
Finney said the feeling of running is what captivates him.
“I like the feeling you get after you finish running,” he explained. “Afterwards, it feels worth it.”
Finney is planning on training harder next year.
“I have a lot of racing experience. This year, I think I was the most experienced racer at zones, and I came in first in both the 3,000 and 1,500 races,” he said. “I was happy with that.”
Finney wanted to congratulate the other Edwin Parr Composite athletes who competed, many of whom had not had a lot of time to train.
“They had only been training for a month, and they were competing against people who had trained for a year,” he said. “They competed so well.”
