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Steve Sundell
High School: Fargo South
College: Columbia (New York)
High School
1600: 4:20
3200: 9:22 2000 State Champ
1999 cross country state runner-up
2000 state champion in the 1600m and the 3200m.
College
3000: 8:12 indoors Columbia University School Record!
5000: 14:14 indoors Sophomore
First team All-Ivy in cross country in 2000 and 2001
All-Region in cross country in 2000
Second-team All-Ivy in the 3000 indoors in 2001
Current Running
I run for Columbia University in New York City. Most of my runs are in Riverside Park and Central Park, but we also go up to Van Cortland Park in the Bronx. There's lots of pavement in Manhattan, but I ran on more pavement in Fargo than here.
Favorite Place to run
I currently live in NYC, so most of my runs are in one of three parks: Central and Riverside Parks, which are both just a couple blocks from Columbia, and Van Cortland Park, where the Heptagonal (Ivy League Championship) cross country meet is held every year.
I don't really have a current favorite place to run. My parents moved from Fargo to Long Island in the summer of '01, so I was forced to run the same mind-numbing trail every day. Long Island is completely paved over with no grass, rivers, streams or lakes. Long Island sucks in three distinct ways: 1) It has dozens of superhighways that are so choked with traffic that it takes and hour and a half to drive 30 miles, 2) you have to cross bridges to get in or out, thrus you need to pay 7 bucks to leave (3.50 out and 3.50 back, and more if you go to New Jersey), and 3) you must go through NYC to get in or out. Think of a really bad carnival where you pay to get in, it has only crappy, run-down rides and rude carnies, and when you want to leave, you have to pay to get out, and that's Long Island. Getting back to the question at hand, I guess Van Cortland Park is my favorite place to run because we get to run and know the same trails that we will run for both Heps and Regionals.
Favorite Workout
I wish we would run 800 repeats. They suck. We kinda did them a couple times last year and they were the hardest intervals all year. I hope we do that kind of stuff this year. I think they would get me in race shape the best.
Why did you start running?
In 5th grade, I was on a CYO track team in Pennsylvania. We ran like 8 laps twice a week for practice. In 9th grade, I got cut from the basketball team. Maybe it was because I was 5 foot 2 and 92 lbs. Maybe I just sucked. But in the Spring, I tried track one more time and I didn't get cut and all the kids stopped calling me names and my grades went up and my voice got deeper. Then it all went downhill from there and here I am. Oh, and just a point of clarification to anyone who read the old profile: My room last year was 85 degrees all the time, not 65. If it were 65 degrees, that would be the most comfortable room of all time.
Other comments about running.
I'm not an expert on running. I don't know what 6:00 pace is or who that Boaz Chimmychonga guy is or anything of any real relevance about the track world. In fact, I don't even know that many other runners in the Ivy League. I think I accidentally insulted a Yale guy for not knowing who he was and now the entire Yale team hates me. So I don't have any expert advice. I don't know, drink lots of milk I guess. And make it whole milk. And if you want to get pumped before a race, listen to Metallica's "Disposable Heroes".
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