An Interview With XC Champ Brent Vaughn

The University of Colorado 5,000m record holder made some tweaks to his training.

Last Saturday, former University of Colorado standout Brent Vaughn joined the likes of fellow alumns Dathan Ritzenhein and Alan Culpepper when he won the U.S. Cross-Country Championships in San Diego. On the Web site KIMbia.net, Vaughn discussed his victory as well as the lead-up to his breakthrough race.

Recalling the moment when he seized the lead, Vaughn had this to say: “I wasn’t necessarily planning to take it that early. I took one of the tangents on the course and found myself in the lead and then I put a little surge in on one of the turns and I got a bit of a gap so I was like, well, might as well just break it open.”

Under the guidance of coach Jay Johnson, Vaughn noted that one difference in his training was that he moved down from 9,000 feet in altitude. “Once I came down I just felt so fresh. So that’s not the only reason I turned a corner, but it definitely helped,” he said.

For More: KIMbia.net