Clark Ruiz is on a mission this cross country season, and the way the Big Rapids senior has fulfilled that mission so far makes coach Chase Gibson very impressed with his all-state runner.
Ruiz is coming off a junior season in which he finished fifth in the Division 2 state final in 15:53.1.
“We are expecting to get top five again at state finals this year,” Gibson said. “We’re focusing a little bit more on cross training due to the drought we had and the high temperatures [during the summer.]”
The focus is more on placing than it is on time, Gibson noted.
“Hopefully we can get down to low 15s time-wise, or hopefully break 15,” he said.
Gibson has coached Ruiz four seasons, and he said that Ruiz’s success stems from several factors.
“It’s a combination of everything,” Gibson said. “He’s a very intelligent guy. He’s up there in the high 3.9s GPA. He’s smart on his nutrition and pretty much everything else.
“Last year’s team was our fastest, and we graduated five seniors. This year, we’re a young team but have three fast guys. There’s a huge gap between 3 and 4. There’s a good chance we’ll win conference with this team, but regionals will be tough for us because of that gap. We’re looking to get [the top three] guys out of regionals and to the state finals.”
Ruiz has run every day since seventh-grade track.
Since he was cross training during the off-season, Ruiz put in fewer miles, but he’s confident that will pay rich dividends. “That will make me a stronger runner,” he said.
His best time to date was 15:24 at Michigan State University last season. He’s hoping to break 15 minutes by the end of this season.
Ruiz said the strongest part of his race is his consistency in the first mile, but he’d like to improve on his last mile.
“The cross training did good for my strength,” he said. “It didn’t do much for my stamina. The third mile needs to be a lot better.”
Ruiz and Big Rapids run in the Central State Activities Association during the league season.
“Ever since my sophomore year, I’ve looked forward to the bigger meets for competition,” Ruiz said, referring especially to the Michigan State Invitational. The Foot Locker race in late November should also give him special competition, he indicated.
Ruiz indicated that track might be his strongest season. A college future is possible, but those decisions will be coming later.
As a senior, Ruiz is determined to enjoy some of the best races of his career, but he’s not overdoing it by putting too much pressure on himself.
“I’m just trying to keep with the work ethic I have and not let it all get to my head,” he said.