Editors note: Article has been updated since original publication.
“It felt great to finish first. That feeling is so addictive, it’s why I love running so much!” said Christopher Broze, a second-year media communications student at Point Loma Nazarene University. Broze came in first place at the Point Loma Nazarene University Homecoming 5k race on Saturday, Feb. 18. In this 3.1 mile race, Broze received a finishing time of 17:30. He shared a little bit about what went into the winning process in an interview via email.
“I had no clue what to expect this year, I thought that the people who beat me last year were going to run but only one of them competed this year. It was actually part of my motivation to beat them this year, so it was a little upsetting to see that they weren’t out there. Nevertheless, I felt great throughout the entirety of the race and was confident that my training would put me in first.” said Broze.
His confidence and training put him over the top this year, and impressed the competition. Although he did not get to race against last year’s competitors, he displayed a great victory.
The duration of this year’s homecoming race was no stranger to Christopher. His previous training, although different, prepared him for his win.
“I ran a half marathon earlier this year and trained through the Boston Marathon Association’s training program, which turned out to be super effective because I finished in sixth place and first in my age group with a time of 1:26:52,” Bronze said. “I then looked to see if they had a 5k plan, which they did, and had to start at the halfway point because my half-marathon ended only four weeks ago. It was really hard switching from half marathon-based training to 5k training because 5k’s are so much more about speed and more anaerobic training, but I got the hang of it about two weeks ago.”
Christopher also talks about being slightly nervous to run this year, but that this was not abnormal from any previous race he had run in the past.
Broze “was less nervous this year because I was really confident about the training and work that I put into it. Last year, however, I wasn’t training nearly as hard as I am now and finished in fourth place”.
While competition can be nerve wracking, our winner this year also had many friends cheering for him throughout the race. “They made posters for me,” and “bought me a McDonald’s Iced Coffee afterwards, which I have been craving throughout all of my training”
After all the hard work that was put into his victory, “It felt great to finish first, it really showed me what I’m capable of and how much my training paid off. All of the encouragement at the end of the race was amazing, from both friends and strangers. I don’t even know how many fist bumps I got, but I cherished all of them.”
Written By: Adley Van Soest
Steve Anderson