The sunglasses won't go with him, but Noah Riley travels a few miles down I-25 this summer to run for the Air Force Academy. Colorado Track XC file photo by Alan Versaw.
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Noah Riley's Best Marks:
1600 Meters - 4:27.19
3200 Meters - 10:03.06
5K Cross Country - 16:07.6
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Has the Air Force Academy been a long-time dream for you or is it of more recent origin?
Well, first off, I just want to thank God for guiding me to this point and giving me the chance to run for Air Force. I feel so lucky to have this opportunity. It has definitely been a more recent desire. I have a grandfather who enlisted in the Air Force, but the military never really crossed my mind until high school. I started becoming aware of and interested in the possibilities at the Academy through two of my track teammates who are now both at the Academy. Seeing all the things they've been able to do and the kind of lifestyle they live has been hugely influential in my decision. So it's been on my mind for a couple of years now. When I met with Coach Ryan Cole and some of the guys on the team I felt very confident that it was the place for me. Coach Cole made an amazing impression on me with the way he cares about each of his runners but also the team above all. That and his competitive nature resonated with me and I felt I had a strong connection there. As for school, the regimented lifestyle, excellent academics, proximity to home, and the opportunity to be on such a great team while also serving my country make me confident the Air Force Academy is a great fit.
Do you have a good idea yet of what you plan to study at the Academy?
As of now the plan is to either go for a philosophy or biochemistry major with a Spanish minor. Luckily the Academy is a liberal arts school so I get to have some of each no matter which one is my true major. I'm definitely going to wait and see which one I prefer but my ultimate academic desire is to go to med school so I'm still working it out.
What happens to the trademark sunglasses when you go to the Academy? :-)
Haha, well, I'm definitely going to part with the orange ones. They're on their last leg, and it was always to go with my school colors. I'm a little bit conflicted on whether I should hold on to them or pass them on to someone, I guess we'll see if anyone wants them. I have my eyes on some blue and white ones though so hopefully I'll be able to sell Coach Cole on those and I can keep the tradition alive. If I'm allowed to wear them I definitely will!
You saw a big progression from sophomore-to-junior and junior-to-senior years. Tell us a little about your training over that period of time.
At the end of sophomore year I decided I wanted to run in college, so I started taking my running a little more seriously. I put in a lot of miles that summer and threw in some speed and strength work too and definitely saw it pay off that year. My training overall has been moderate to high mileage with a lot of strength and hilly runs thrown in. I think what worked for me was increasing my mileage before my junior year and maintaining that workload while improving the pace and quality of those miles since then. This winter season I've been working with Coach Chris Turner, and I've done a lot more speed-intensive training, and that seemed to work well for indoor so hopefully that will continue to pay off. I've built up a pretty decent base in the past couple of years so this year has been geared more towards making me fast.
Can you identify one moment from your high school career to date that stands out among all the others as a favorite?
Two particular races come to mind. First, cross country state my junior year was incredible. After narrowly missing the mark my sophomore year it was great to see the payoff of a hard summer and get to go at all. When I was there I just ran and had fun. I ended up taking up 35th overall and it was a huge confidence boost, I started really believing I could do something with my running. The other was the 1600 at league my junior year. I had a very frustrating season, as I was injured for the first six weeks. Coming back and being able to put together one great race was such a needed end to a hard season, I ended up running a huge PR and taking 2nd behind Carson Hume and I was so excited. Overcoming those kinds of obstacles is the reason I love sports and it was great to be able to share that with my team.
Do you have any personal goals for the spring season that you're willing to share?
I have a lot of goals I'm setting for this last season, but I'll just throw out the big ones. I really want to break our school record officially (4:27) in the next couple of meets. After that I'm hoping to place top three in the mile at state. I've never made state in a track event before, and I want to leave my high school career on an incredibly high note. I also want to help take one of our relay teams to state as well because I just think it would be so much fun. And, if I ever have the opportunity with conditions and the right race, I'm gunning for that 1600 state record with the other awesome milers this year. But, as always, we will see what God has in store for me in the coming season.
