Chase Benson Junior, Olentangy, Lewis Center
Personal Bests
· 1600 Meter Run 4:56.32
· 3200 Meter Run 10:07.11
· 5000 Meter Run 16:57.20
· 800 Meter Run 2:22.90
We are faced with challenges almost every day of our lives. How we react and overcome these challenges is part of what defines us. Chase Benson, a Junior at Olentangy, was the lead runner on his team in XC last year. He is not a conference champion yet. He is not a District, Regional or State champion yet. He is an inspiration and, he certainly has overcome the odds!
Here is a little bit about Chase. He was born on May 15th 1996. He was born at 28 weeks, three months premature. At birth, he weighed 2 lbs. 4 oz. and was 14 inches long. His parents sat through two straight weeks of being told that he would not make it through the night. His weight dropped to 1 lb 14 oz. He stayed 93 days in a hospital, all but two weeks of it was in the natal intensive care unit. The remaining two weeks were in a Transitional Infant Care Unit.
Chase had very significant scaring in his lungs called BPD (Bronchial Pulmonary Displasia). As a result of the BPD, his parents were told that he had a great risk of severe asthma. Additionally, he was diagnosed with ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity). This could potentially lead to blindness. His lungs also had collapsed twice and he had 8 blood transfusions. On top of all this he had significant blood on his brain which his parents were told could possibly lead to cerebral palsy, or even mental retardation. Chase had so many IV’s in his body that the vein in his foot "tapped out" and started to turn black. There was a fear that he would lose his foot. He had apnea, bradycardia and a heart murmur. He was on oxygen and heart monitors for the first 6 months of his life. Today however, he is not blind, he doesn't have cerebral palsy or mental retardation, he has never been diagnosed with asthma and his heart murmur has corrected itself.
OHRunners: Chase, I'd like to ask a couple of questions in regards to your infancy, as my first comment when I read about you was WOW!
As you were growing up, have any of the ailment possibilites from your infancy had any effect on your running today?
Chase: No. I have not been affected by any of the possbile ailments.
OHRunners: Were there any ever restrictions put on you when you were younger, or even today, in terms of sports due to the list of possible ailments?
Chase: There were no restrictions for me other than as an infant and I needed to be put on oxygen, heart monitors and I had physical therapy until I was six months old. Everything was when I was a new born infant.
OHRunners: As a newborn, you showed a strong determination to overcome the odds. Would you consider this a defining character trait that you still have today?
Chase: I do believe I still have this trait today. I feel that my pain threshold is much stronger due to my difficult start. I do realize that I am very lucky that I have overcome so many obstacles since I was born and I'm very thankful for that. The majority of my obstacles were during my infancy however, such as being born at 28 weeks and weighing only 2 lbs 4 oz, but pretty much the only obstacle since then was my size compared to all the other kids growing up. I wasn't really the biggest kid growing up in sports. In fact, I was always the smallest kid in my class up until my 8th grade year.
OHRunners: Let's talk about your running. When did you first start running?
Chase: I started running around the age of 4 or 5 I guess. I can remember being really little and running a few fun runs in Louisville. As I got older, I ran a few 5K's here and there. I started running for my school in 7th grade during the spring track season (I played football in the fall). I thought I could try to be a sprinter, but didn't have the foot speed. So later, I got it into my head that maybe I'm a distance runner.
OHRunners: I know that you are looking forward to this year’s XC season. What is your summer training like? How many miles are you running per week? Will you run any 5 or 10K’s, or just put on base miles?
Chase: My summer training has pretty much been putting in the miles, trying to run 6-7 days a week. Right after school let out, my XC team had a running camp that was at the Salt Fork State Park. I had so much fun there. Running the hills there made the hills here (in Central Ohio) seem like little bumps. Then in early July, I visited a XC camp at the University of Rio Grande. Both of my parents went to college there and their old coach still coaches at Rio Grande. By the time the camp was over, I had learned so much more about not just running, but the love for it. In June, I went an average of 30-35 miles per week and this month I'm trying to go 40-45 miles per week and carrying that mileage on through August. Over the course of this summer, I've ran one 5K, one 4-miler, and one 1-miler and will be doing one more 5K in early August.
OHRunners: What are your expectations for this upcoming XC season?
Chase: I'm looking to continue being the lead runner for my high school this year. I would like to make it to regionals this year as an individual or as a team. I would love to go to state. I know that I really have to put in the work this season if I want to reach that goal. I always look forward to the XC season because of how close-knit our team is. We stick together and look out for each other. I am really looking forward to this year's XC season.
OHRunners: Describe for us who Chase is today? What is Chase’s motivation?
Chase: I am a very determined and hard-working person. I like to lead by example. I have a "no giving up" mentality that helps me get to where I want to be. It makes me a stronger person. I'm also a very quiet, yet serious kind of person. I'm a very artistic and hands-on person, too. I love drawing cars. I have this passion or what some people call it, an obsession with old muscle cars. I don't really know how I got into cars, but I've always admired the classic lines and looks of a vintage muscle car. Whenever I hear the throaty roar of an American V8, I smile from ear to ear. I like to think of running as if it was an old muscle car like a Chevelle or a Camaro. As time goes on, just like the cars, there is a lot of upkeep needed to stay in shape. Making right choices and eating healthy help keep me in shape. I am looking to run through college, hopefully for a Division 1 school. I am also considering going into the Marines after college.
OHRunners: Chase. Thank you for your time. I am confident that your determination and leadership now will continue to define who you are and will bring the success you deserve. We will watch for you and your teammates this Fall.
Chase Benson Junior, Olentangy, Lewis Center
Personal Bests
· 1600 Meter Run 4:56.32