On The Line, Episode 6: Valor Christian's Cole Sprout

On Episode 6 of MileSplit's On The Line podcast, Cory Mull chats with Valor Christian (CO) High School junior Cole Sprout on his season so far, his hopes for Nike Cross Nationals on December 1, what he's learned about himself over the past few years, and what it will take to make an even bigger jump. 

Sprout currently owns the No. 1 5K time in the country and lately has been been at the top of the national rankings. That's meant that the Colorado prep enters nationals as a real threat to claim a national title, but we find out just how he feels about the weight of those expectations. 

For more, listen to the full episode of On The Line

Run of Show: 

  • Welcoming in Cole Sprout [1:00]
  • General thoughts on NXR Southwest [1:45]
  • Scouting NXR Southwest [2:25]
  • How do your plans change with every race [2:50]
  • How championship races differ from typical races [4:20]
  • On competing with friend Easton Allred at NXR Southwest [5:15]
  • The amount of pride runners have in a historically rich Southwest region [6:20]
  • Rating the performance ahead of nationals on December 1 [7:15]
  • Lessons he's learned about himself this fall [8:15]
  • What role the importance of recovery plays over his season [9:30]
  • An appreciation on one big race this fall? [10:00]
  • Describing Colorado's state course and why the meet record was important [11:15]
  • The place where Cole Sprout and Valor Christian celebrate the state championships [12:15]
  • Talking about the consideration of Foot Locker Midwest and Foot Locker Nationals [13:00]
  • The significance of NXN for Southwestern athletes [15:00]
  • The first year where Cole started to pay attention to high school nationals [16:00]
  • The experience from NXN last year and what went into the process [17:10]
  • How nationals prepare athletes like Cole for the collegiate experience [18:15]
  • Describing his coach, Greg Coplen, at Valor Christian [19:00]
  • The progression of XC at Valor Christian [20:00]
  • Cole gets to test his knowledge of NCAA XC history in a trivia game [22:00]
  • Cole talks about his diet when preparing for training and competition [29:00]
  • The healthy vibe in Highlands Ranch [30:15]
  • Pre-meet meal to eat before competitions [31:00]
  • Favorite cheat meal [32:00]
  • Cole's biggest rituals before races [32:50]
  • Inspirations that have guided Cole [34:00]
  • If he could shadow any runner in the world, he would choose ... [35:00]
  • How running fits in Cole's life [35:30]
  • Which state would Cole compete if he had the chance [36:20]
  • Overall goals and aspirations for Cole as he heads to NXN [37:30]
  • Adjusting in championship races when the time begs of it [38:30]