Athlete Spotlight: Runner Jacob Dennis

The Lookout Staff Writer Jayden Hewitt was recently able to catch up with cross country runner Jacob Dennis. A sophomore at LCC, Dennis graduated in 2021 from St. Johns High School.

When did you start running cross country?
“I started running cross country in eighth grade in 2016 at St. Johns Middle School.”

What made you want to run cross country growing up?
“I could barely run a mile under 10 minutes at the time in PE. Toward the end of seventh grade I started to get into weight lifting and had read that I should incorporate cardio into my lifting. So a few times a week I would run around a mile, and then slowly I started running more. My mom, who ran cross country for Perry in high school, saw that I was running and suggested that I join the cross country team. So I did in eighth grade and I really found a passion for the sport.”

Do you have any pre-run routines?
“On race day if I have a race later in the day I'll eat some fruit, go for a quick two- to three-mile run, eat breakfast, and then wait a few hours and eat a small carb-packed lunch.”

Do you have any personal or team goals for the rest of this season?
“I hope that we can continue to get faster together, and that this year we can win a national title together. After this I'm hoping to have a really good period of training over the winter and bring my 5K time down into the 14s, from my current best of 15:32, during the track season, before I am finished at LCC.”

What is your plan post-LCC?
“I haven't completely decided yet, but I really hope to continue running for two more years at a university.”

Do you have any moments from high school or LCC that stick out to you from running?
“My high school team back at St. Johns was the runner-up for DII nationals in the MHSAA my senior year of high school in 2020. It really was a very exciting moment for my high school team. The following year in 2021 at LCC, our men's team took fifth place at nationals. And while we had hoped to do better that day, we were still very happy to have made the top five teams nationally, and were very happy to see our women win a national title.”

Do you have any pre-run music you listen to that gets you ready?
“Every now and then I like to run with music. For me, running is relaxing and a lot of the time I like to listen to calming music like acoustic pop and Lo-Fi on my base runs. However, before races one of my favorite songs to get amped up to is an early 2000s alt rock song called “Just One” by Hoobastank from their album ‘The Reason.’”