Clarksville's McKlain Kirkpatrick named All Area top boys cross country runner
For years, McKlain Kirkpatrick walked by a table in his house that had several books on how to properly train for long-distance runs.
A cross country star at Clarksville High, Kirkpatrick felt he had a good grasp on the subject, having already established himself as the top runner for the Wildcats and one of the best in Clarksville.
Yet, Kirkpatrick felt something was missing.
When he finally started reading the books that were in his house for years, he discovered that he had failed to unlock another side to his sport. His training habits changed immediately, and Kirkpatrick finished his senior season with better times and a happier demeanor.
And now Kirkpatrick has been named The Leaf-Chronicle All Area Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.
"My dad ran at West Point," Kirkpatrick said. "So he would tell me things and I never listened to him. So I started to listen to him, and I started paying attention to the science of running and the psychological aspects of it, and it changed everything for me."
Among Montgomery County runners, Kirkpatrick dominated the field nearly every meet. He finished sixth at the region meet and 37th at the state Large Class meet. Both accomplishments were tops in the city.
"I'll probably never be satisfied with any performance-based activity I do," he said. "That's just me. But I was very happy with my senior year."
Kirkpatrick admits that he's hard on himself and has worked to find balance in his expectations.
"I'm getting there," he said. "For instance I realized that when I started to go after tangible results in terms of the range of my training, I performed better in meets. In weekly practices I scaled my mileage way down. Now I do think I peaked too early in the season, but I learned something about my sport and about myself in the process. That's progress."
Reach Prep writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com or (931) 245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.
THE LEAF-CHRONICLE ALL AREA BOYS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Bo Driskell
Rossview, Sr.
Why chosen: Driskell had a 17:30 average but was limited to five races after an injury. He never finished lower than third against area competition.
McKlain Kirkpatrick
Clarksville High, Sr.
Why chosen: Kirkpatrick was the highest area finisher at the region (6th) and state Large Class tournament (37th) and was awarded the Montgomery County Runner of the year.
Ryan Martin
Rossview, Jr.
Why chosen: Martin had a 17:30 average and never finished lower than fourth place against area completion.
Stone Norris
Clarksville Academy, Jr.
Why chosen: Norris was one of the top Division II runners in the Midstate and led the Cougars in time in every race. He finished 17th overall at the state DII-A meet.
Christian Woller
Rossview, Jr.
Why chosen: Woller had a 17:28 average and was the second-highest area finisher at region (9th) and the state Large Class meet (92nd).
SECOND TEAM
Pearson Ezell, Rossview, Jr.
Tevin Gordon, West Creek, Jr.
Derek Herrera, West Creek, Jr.
Braiden Stevens, Rossview, Fr.
Justin Witt, Montgomery Central, Fr.