-Athlete Name: Ben Bockoven
-School: Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (CVCA)
-Year of Graduation: 2014
-Best time in a 5K race and in which meet: I ran 15:57 at the Ohio High School State meet.
-Tell us how your summer training is going?:
My summer training is going great. I have put in a lot of quality miles, more than I ever have before, and I am looking forward to a good season.
-What are your goals for the upcoming season?:
I have some goals that I would like to keep to myself for the time being, but what always comes first is seeking a team title. That is something I have always dreamed of and what to accomplish first and foremost.
-How long have you been running and how did you get started?:
I started running in 7th grade to train for soccer and then had great mentors like Will Anderson guide me to the great sport of distance running and the rest is history!
-Will you be competing anywhere out of state this season?:
The plan right now is for me to run both Nike and Footlocker. I ran at the Nike Midwest meet last year and had a lot of fun!
-What is your favorite course to run in Ohio?:
My favorite course to run in Ohio is most definitely Tiffin. It's one of the fastest courses we run and it is a great meet with amazing competition.
-What is the toughest course to run in Ohio?:
I would have to say that the toughest course I have ever run is the Woodridge course even though I only ran it as a Freshman! It has lots of hills and is a slow course so it is a bit of a mental challenge as well.
-What meet during the regular season do you put extra emphasize on to compete well at?:
I usually put extra emphasis on the Tiffen and Boardman meets just because they are bigger meets, and they are really fun courses.
-What is your favorite cross country race so far in your high school career?:
My favorite race so far would probably be either my District race last year because I learned an important lesson, or the Nike Midwest meet last year because it was fun to be in a race with a lot of crazy good runners and the national champ!
-Favorite cross country memory?:
When I was a sophomore and I found out that our team got third I was shocked and so excited we all performed so well.
-When you are not running what is your favorite thing to do?:
I like to hang out and swim with my friends.
-Favorite quote?:
My favorite quotes are two off a Nike campaign last summer for the Olympics that said "willpower knows no obstacles" and "twice the guts double the glory"
-What shoes do you train in?:
I run easy and long runs in the Nike Pegasus 30 and workouts in the Nike Flyknit One
-What shoes do you race in?:
I race in the Nike Zoom Victory XC. I love Nike running products if you cant tell!
-What's on your Ipod when you go out for runs?:
I like listening to either Justin Timberlake, John Mayer or some Daft Punk there chosen before hand depending on my route and mood.
-What professional athlete would you most like to meet?:
I would love to meet Matthew Centrowitz just because he's an amazing runner and I actually got to talk to him through Facebook when I was a freshman and before he even had won his NCAA title.
-What is something that most people don't know about you?
Most people do not know that I like to run on new trails always and I always want to take pictures everywhere I run. The CVNP trails are so photogenic and I always miss out by not running with a camera! Also I am a champion Ice Cream eater don't challenge me!