Clayton Mendez is a junior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and a part of the school’s varsity cross country and track teams. He has run a personal best of 8:59 for the two mile this track season and is currently on the road to State. The following questions were asked to the nationally ranked runner in order to learn a little more about him and his running success.

Where are you currently in your track season and what is coming up next?
This past Friday our team had our sectional meet and this coming Friday and Saturday, those who qualified, will compete down state. I placed first in the mile as well as the 2 mile at sectionals , which was very exciting for me. I am really looking forward to competing down state and possibly bringing home a state title to the halls of WY.

What does a typical pre-race meal look like for you?
I try to eat a very balanced meal before any race as well as drink lots of water. Chicken with vegetables and some sort of carb, such as pasta or potato would probably be a typical meal for me.

Who do you have to thank for your athletic success here at WY?
I would like to say a special thank you to my coaches: Coach Billy, Coach Wiegmann, and Coach Geiger. I have put in lots of hard work and am so grateful for their support throughout the entire season. I would also like to thank my teammates, many of which, I am really looking forward to competing with down state.

Anything else you would like to say?
Coming from a school without a track and other proper facilities for the sport, it is exciting to say I have accomplished all I have this past season. Despite a difficult cross country season, I am eager to compete this upcoming weekend and run on behalf of all of the Dolphins at WY. Hopefully by the end of the week there will be another state banner hanging in the gym.

Clayton is looking forward to this summer and running at Nationals in early June. He can’t wait to continue his running career in college. Good luck on the rest of your running adventures, Clayton!