On Dec. 20, Kenrick Gunn (10) ran through the cold morning air, in what he calls “runner’s weather,” and looked down at his watch in surprise. Gunn completed the San Diego Holiday Half Marathon, placing first in the 17-and-under category with a time of 1 hour and 15 minutes. He also placed 39th overall, qualifying to be in the elite category. He had doubted his ability to beat his time from previous years, but once he checked his watch, his nerves melted away.
The annual half-marathon is a 13.1 mile, point-to-point race held in Carmel Mountain Road.
“I ran 1 mile warmup stretches and drills to prepare,” Gunn said. “I didn’t feel like I was in the best shape, so I blew myself away when I first saw my time. It feels really amazing to accomplish that.”
Prior to the race, Gunn expresses that proper nutrition and preparedness prior to an event is one way to help him manipulate the outcome of a race.
“Half-marathons are always hard because you can’t predict how you feel in the middle of a race,” Gunn said. “I felt fine for the first six miles, then ended up cramping during the seventh. I brought gels with amino acids and sugar in them, which saved me this time around.”
This year, Gunn set a positive mindset for himself because he wanted to achieve a time that reflected his gradual progress over the years.
“I took the race seriously this year because I noticed that I’ve been faster than previous years,” Gunn said. “The course was mainly downhill and had one hill towards the end of the course. That was especially painful, but I got through it.”
Gunn started running in middle school, his appreciation for the sport only increased when he joined the cross country and track team in seventh grade.
“I really fell in love with the sport my freshman year, and once we made it to states, it was such a rewarding feeling,” Gunn said. “[Running] is rewarding in a way, despite the outcome.”
Gunn said that once he started running, he found a huge running community that encouraged him to keep going and become a better athlete.
“My mom, my coaches, my friends motivated me when I started, and I really just kept working through it until it worked out,” Gunn said. “The sport is so team-oriented, and after every single race, people go up to you and congratulate you despite the outcome.”
Gunn said that there are many ways to stay motivated as a runner, whether it’s watching professional athletes run or having the personal satisfaction of breaking a record; the community has always been of support to him.
“In running, there’s a really strong community,” Gunn said. “For me, my biggest motivation is my mom. She helps me stay motivated and get out of bed in the morning and I am very grateful for that”
Gunn said that pressure to do well is one of the most challenging aspects of running.
“The most difficult part is not succeeding,” Gunn said. “In running, you work so, so hard, and you can be in the best condition you’ve ever been in, but [sometimes] you can just have a really bad day and end up just not performing well.”
Gunn said he hopes to run in the San Diego Holiday Half-marathon again this year and continue running in college.
“I’m [also] preparing for track season, and hopefully I can perform well and improve,” Gunn said. “When I started, I originally thought that I wasn’t talented, but once I began, I realized that I was more talented than I thought. [Now] I aspire to run in college, and then run professionally one day.”
