Friday Focus: Levi Thomet

Levi Thomet (Kodiak, AK) is one of the best distance runners in not only Alaskan, but in United States prep history. The senior ran US #7 All-Time 8:48.32 in the indoor Two Mile to place runner-up at the New Balance National Indoor Championship. The nine-time Alaska State Champion talks about running away from polar bears, going to the same high school as Oregon Duck Trevor Dunbar, and bypassing the loaded Arcadia Invitational 3,200m for one last shot at his home state's Big C Relays, versus USATF Junior XC Champion Connor Mantz (Sky View, UT).

MileSplit: You are the two-time defending champion in the Big C Relays 3,200m. What does this meet mean to you and why is it special?

Levi: The Big C Relays is one of my favorite events in Alaska track besides state. Running there in front of so many people from my home state is definitely a highlight, and of course having won the past two years has been great, but honestly just being at this meet is a treat in itself.

USATF Junior National XC Champion Conner Mantz will also be in the race. Do you know much about Mantz's racing style and how are you preparing for this event? Is there a certain time you want to run?

What I have learned from being in races with Connor is that he really leaves it all on the track and doesn't hold back. If there is anyone who can push himself to the limit, it's him. As for training, I've been putting in a lot of 800 and 400 repeats and have been working a lot on getting my speed up to where my endurance is. If I can pull together a fast final 800-400m then I believe it will really help get to that next level of competition. Connor and I were planning on taking turns leading, but as I've found out in past one on one races, it usually turns into a balls to the wall, guts race.

Did you recruit Conner for this race?

I called Connor a few months before the Big C's and asked if he would be interested in coming up to run a 3200 with me and maybe a couple other guys. As it turned out, no one else could make it, but it was awesome just getting someone of his caliber up here to go after a fast time.

Last year, you also competed at the Arcadia Invitational in California, where you ran your personal record of 9:00.68 for 3,200m. Arcadia is well-known for hosting the deepest 3,200m field of the year outside of nationals. What is the atmosphere like there and how did you enjoy the race experience?

Arcadia is definitely the race to hit if you're looking for a good field to compete against, the meet breeds champions like a rabbits, but it really gets a little too crowded which makes moving up or even finding a good position difficult. I wish I had been able to get out better, and find a good spot to sit, but overall Arcadia was an awesome experience and I ran my season pr.

This year, Arcadia and Big C Relays are both this weekend. How did you decide which meet to compete in and was it a hard decision?

I was actually planning on going to Arcadia, but when I found out that the Big C's fell on the same date, Arcadia was pretty quickly out of the question. I'll have plenty of opportunities to race at meets like arcadia in the future, but Big C's is something I will never be able to experience after I graduate, so I took advantage of my last chance to go.

Thomet (5) ran stride-for-stride with Andrew Hunter (11) of Loudon Valley, VA and Alex Ostberg (6) of Darien, CT in a historic Two Mile at New Balance Nationals Indoor.

Describe your hometown of Kodiak. What is it like to live and train there?

Kodiak is a pretty small town. About 13,000 people are spread out over the whole island. Most people ask me how the heck I train up here with all the polar bears and ice year round, but in reality, it an awesome place to train! It doesn't get extremely cold here like the more northern parts of AK. I'm able to get in good runs year round with out having to worry about frostbite or any of those set backs, which is a major plus. Having a team that is willing to train all year and put in the work with you also helps a ton! I've been lucky enough to have such a team. After taking home the team state title for cross country last year, everyone has been motivated to continue the work and help push both me and each other.

How many encounters have you had with a Kodiak bear while on a run? Do you run or play dead?

Bears. I've really only run into two on runs. One was when the whole team was warming up for regions and one decided to sprint across the course, the other was by my self during a workout. I was just coming over a hill going about 5k pace when I looked up and was probably 15ft from a young one. The first instinct was to climb a tree, but as soon as it saw me it took off running and disappeared. Definitely made me forget about the workout for a second though and gave me that extra wind to finish hard!

Trevor Dunbar, an 8-time All-American at the University of Oregon and current Nike athlete, is an alumnus of your program. What is your relationship with Dunbar and how has his legacy at Kodiak impacted your own career?

I've been fortunate enough to have spent a good amount of time with Trevor both in Alaska and down in Oregon. He came up and acted as an assistant coach with Coach Dunbar for a while during cross country two years ago. He really helped me get the most out of workouts and was super fun to have around. Trevor will text me sometimes after or before a big race and say congrats or talk about what I should do, or could've done better. He really set the bar for Alaskan distance runners, and his insane high school records are great to shoot for.

How many times have you watched this video?

That video is legendary. I've probably only watched like 4 times, but every time I'm surprised at how unreal that run was. It never gets old to see.

You most certainly broke Dunbar's school record in the Two Mile with your US #7 All-Time 8:48.32 to place runner-up at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championship. Tell us about running neck-and-neck with Andrew Hunter and what it meant to break 9 minutes for the first time.

The New Balance Indoor 2 mile was definitely the best race of my career, and I couldn't have done it without Alex or Andrew pushing the pace the whole way. Having not broken 9 minutes was a big thought in my mind going into that race. It had really been bugging me that I was so close. So after running 8:48, I really felt like I had accomplished my goal.

Do you know if that 8:48 is a State Record?

8:48 is the state's fastest time, however, Alaska only counts state records as times that have been run at the state meet, so technically it's not.

You and Elijah Armstrong pushed each other to nation-leading times of 9:01 and 9:02 for 3,200m at the Simplot Games. You stayed with him during the trip to Idaho - is he a good friend of yours?

Elijah and I are definitely good friends. It was awesome getting to stay at his house and meet the rest of his family, introduced me to the Rocky movies and officially made me a true American.

What is the biggest challenge of traveling to the lower 48 for meets? Tell us about your close call at the NXN Northwest Regional XC meet.

Living in Kodiak certainly has its challenges! Our team has been weathered out more than once, and when we do make it out, its usually no less than 6 hours of flight time to the lower 48. Going to NXR was probably the closest call to not making it I've ever had. After getting cancelled over and over again on Alaska airlines, coach decided to have one of my teammate's dads fly us to Anchorage in his 8 seater plane. Close call, but definitely worth it once the team finally arrived.

What is the highlight of your athletic career to this point?

The highlight of my athletic career was definitely running the 2 mile at New Balance Indoors. That race really brought up my confidence of my ability to compete with elite guys like Andrew, and Alex.

You have won 6 Alaska State Championship titles. You won your first as a sophomore during XC. Describe that moment - how did it feel and could you have foreseen how your career progressed?

Winning state as a sophomore was the high light of my early running career. My freshmen year there was a guy on our team who beat me every race and really made me push my self getting ready for the next year. Sophomore year I started winning almost all of my races, but my teammate was always close behind. At state, we both wanted the title more than anything else. It's a tradition at state that if you can catch a leaf from the trees on the course in your mouth then you'll have good luck on the upcoming race. About halfway through the run, I was falling behind a little and my teammate was starting to get away from me. At that moment, a leaf fell from one of the trees and literally blew right into my mouth. At that moment I knew I could win and I licked it in to take the title by seven seconds. .

What is your athletic background and how/when did you start running track?

I've been playing hockey for about eight years and only stopped playing this year to focus more on track. Its definitely the most fun sport besides running and I've gotten pretty good over the years!