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Ruthie Boyd's Best Marks:
800 Meters - 2:24.79
1600 Meters - 5:23.10 (at altitude)
3200 Meters - 11:40.97 (at altitude)
5K Cross Country - 18:39.1 (at altitude)
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Tell us a little about what attracted you to the Carleton program. I suppose it helps that you're from Summit County where it comes to dealing with Minnesota winters...
Carleton College has a very strong running program and the women's team has been very successful in both track and cross country. When I went to visit, I was very drawn by the closeness of the team and the amazing coaches they have. I think that it was ultimately the friendly and welcoming atmosphere of the team combined with the strong running program that really attracted me to Carleton. As far as the winters go, I'm actually excited to be in Minnesota because cross country skiing is a big part of my life, and this is something I will be able to continue at Carleton.
What do you plan to study at Carleton?
I'm not really sure what I will be studying yet, but some of the possibilities include Environmental Science and Spanish.
You and your teammate McKenna Ramsay have had similar events and similar times all through high school. Tell us a little about how that works out for sharpening each other. Do you prefer to run against her in a meet or in completely separate events?
McKenna is a great teammate and an even better friend. We have been training partners all through cross country and usually complete most of the workouts together. I think that having McKenna as a teammate has certainly made me a stronger runner because we can definitely push each other, and we work together really well. When it comes to competing, I like to run against her because we can work together and encourage each other even though we typically have different strategies for racing--I like to start slower while she goes out fast. But when we are in different events in track, it's also really fun because we can cheer each other on. I'm really glad that I've been able to have such a great teammate and friend and I know that I will miss running with her next year!
If you had to choose between track and cross country, which would it be?
Definitely cross country. I love the longer distances and fun courses.
Tell us about your favorite track/cross country moment during your high school career.
Throughout the past four years, I have had the opportunity to run with the same relay team- Jessica Horii, Megan McDonnell, and McKenna Ramsay- and I think that my favorite moment would have to be when we broke the school record in the 4x400 our sophomore year under the lights at the Poudre Invite. It was a really cool moment because it was one of those races where everything just falls into place- we had all been working hard for it, and nothing is better than seeing your team succeed. While we have re-set the school record since then, this moment is one that sticks out to me just because of how happy it was!
You're down to the last moments of your high school career. What would be, for you, a good way to close out your high school career?
The state meet this week will be the end of my high school career. I'm really lucky to have the opportunity to run the 4x800 with my teammates and run the 3200 as well. The best way to close out my high school career would be to run my best in these events and run for my team one last time!