PULASKI, Va. – Cole Boone has had a track season like no other.
Known as a mid-distance runner, the Pulaski County High School junior is a state champion, a national champion, and a national record holder.
“It’s just, it’s a lifestyle,” Boone said.
I met up with Boone at Pulaski County High School to talk to him about his achievements. He said he got into running because of his cousin, and it took off from there.
“Seventh-grade year I got to compete, and I ran 2:10 in the 8 at the end of the season and I was like, ‘Okay, maybe this is something I could go for,’” Boone said.
Now, running has become a way of life for him.
“I’m doing around like 25-30 miles a week now,” he said.
At the state tournament in March, Boone competed in the 1,000-meter race, where he broke the national record and brought home the state title.
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“It was the first race I was really able to check out in, which was awesome,” Boone said. “A lot of people hear about this runner’s high that’s really hard to hit, but once you do, you go wild, and I haven’t hit it in a long time until that race. I saw 2:20, my hands flew up, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t believe it at first.‘”
After the state meet, Boone was off to the New Balance National Meet in Boston, where he competed in the 800-meter race, winning gold there too, and setting a junior national record.
“I couldn’t believe it for a while,” Boone said. “I came off the track, I was really tired, and they were like, ‘Here’s your banner, you have a victory lap,’ and I was like, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t know if I can do it!’”
He explained that in running, it’s more of a battle against your mind than it is your body.
“It’s like 60%, maybe 70% mental, 40% to 30% physical on the track,” Boone said. “It’s so crazy how much the power of the brain can dictate what you do on the track.”
Boone’s head coach, Britney Hodge, said Boone is special.
“I don’t think we will ever find another athlete quite like Cole,” Hodge said. “He really is an exceptional human being all the way around.”
She said he’s the kind of athlete that coaches dream about.
Boone said his goal is to one day compete on the highest stage at the Olympics.
