Ben Peterson - Bowling Green, Class of 2014. Bowling Green, KY
Personal Bests
- 1,600 Meter Run 4:51.46
- 3,200 Meter Run 10:00.87
- 5,000 Meter Run 16:39.10
Most Memorable Race:
I actually have two- the 2012 Region 2 AAA meet and the 2014 KY State Track Meet. In the 2012 Regional Meet, our team won regionals in AAA for the first time in school history on a tiebreaker with Grayson County. At the 2014 State Track Meet, our 4x800m Relay had the race of our lives and we finished 6th. Our goal all year had been to break the school record of 8:08, and while we didn't get it (our PR was an 8:10 at state) we got really close as a team and it felt amazing to medal with those guys, Sam Porter, Kyle Johnson, and Trajon Hall.
Best HS Accomplishment:
Earning my Eagle Scout award stands out the most to me. I've worked for it since Kindergarten when I started Cub Scouts, and following my Eagle Scout Project (a 5K race hygiene drive ironically), I earned my Eagle Scout award after 12 years of work.
What would I change:
The only thing I would change is that I would've started running in middle school. I definitely am satisfied with the progress I've made over the last four years, but you always wonder what could've been..
Biggest Obstacle:
I've been injured some the last couple of years, and those impacted my seasons and I didn't run as well as I wanted. The biggest part was overcoming the mental hurdle (no pun intended) of running poorly to get back to where I was before the injury. Once I got back though, I had an awesome season.
Miss the most:
I'll definitely miss my team the most. These last few years we've become really close, and I love them all. We've had some crazy good memories, and some not so good ones, but I wouldn't trade them for all the victories in the world. Love you guys, BGHS Purples XC/TF.
Advice for Younger Athletes:
My advice to younger athletes is don't overtrain. You know what your limits are and what your body can and can't do, and if there's one thing I've learned from experience, it's that training too hard/too much will get you hurt. The last thing you want is to see a few DNFs in the results or really bad times for you because you ran too many miles. Also, don't take your high school years for granted, because they're gone in the blink of an eye, and they're awesome.
Future plans:
I will be running XC/TF at Western Kentucky University where I will be studying math education.
Thanks:
I'd like to thank Coach Hammy and Coach Flemister for their support and guidance over the years as they've coached me to be my best. Thank you to my amazing team for an incredible four years of memories and awesome races, and for cheering me on always. Thank you to Greenwood runners Keith Prive, Nick Howell, and Colin Sheehan for being excellent rivals and friends--you all have pushed me hard and made me run fast. And lastly, a special thank you to the BG Bad Boy himself, Sam Porter, for pushing me to work my hardest every day at practice and meets as we battled for varsity spots at first, then bragging rights and PRs. I wouldn't be where I am today without you dude.
