Joe Grandizio competing in the freshmen race at the Cherokee Challenge earlier in September. / Photo by RunningWorksPics
As part of the Future Stars series presented by Hoka One One, MileSplit is highlighting some of the top underclassmen cross country runners throughout the country. In this athlete spotlight, we feature freshmen runner Joey Grandizio of Kingsway High School (NJ). So far this season Joe leads the freshmen state rankings in both the 3200 meter and 5000 meter run. His 3200 meter time of 10:25 came while he won the freshmen class race at the Cherokee Challenge back on September 13th. His leading 5000 meter time was run during a varsity race at the South Jersey Shootout. He clocked a 17:05 placing 11th in the Stud Race (1 and 2 team runners).
Interview with Kingsway High School (NJ) freshmen Joe Grandizio
Hello Joe, I hope the start to your high school academic career has gone well so far. It is still early for many freshmen running careers around New Jersey but among a few others are really starting to stand out from the rest of the field. Before we start talking about your high school running tell us a little more about your running background. Were you able to get a lot of race experience in middle school?
I started running the summer before 7th grade to get myself ready for Middle School cross country in the fall. I ran middle school cross country and track. I also ran in the Browning Ross 5K Winter Series on Sundays.
If you were able to run in middle school, what have some of the biggest changes training wise been for you? - If you weren't able to run middle school, has high school running been everything you've expected so far?
The biggest shift from middle school to high school was the mileage. In 7th& 8th grade, we would go three miles at the max. Now that I am in high school, I am running eight or so miles a day and going into the double digits on Sundays.
Your opening invitational meet was at the awesome Cherokee Challenge where you won the freshmen class race with a 10:25 for the 2 mile course. That was over 6 seconds faster than the other freshmen there. You actually had the 49th fastest time of the day when including the other classes all the way through the senior race. Did you realize heading in that you were prepared for a successful weekend? How did it feel opening up your high school career like that?
My goal for that weekend was to come out on top and I felt that I would be able to do so. In the back of my mind, I wanted to beat the course record of 10:09. Through most of the race there was one guy in front of me from Henderson. With a ½ mile left in the race, I picked up the pace and took the lead. Although I wasn’t able to break the record, winning the Cherokee Challenge was definitely a great way to start off the season.
Joey competing in the Boys 1-2 Race at the South Jersey Shootout. / Photo by RunningWorksPics for MileSplit
The next weekend you raced with the upperclassmen in the stud race at the South Jersey Shootout running a 17:05. How did it feel to be chosen to represent your squad in that race and was there anything that you took away from the experience?
To be honest, at first I was unhappy because I wanted to run with the freshman. However, I did consider it an honor to be chosen to run in the stud race. I took twenty-three seconds off my time, within a week, on the same course. That race also showed me where I stand around these other great runners.
You were able to experience a freshmen only race and distance as well as the all out varsity field. Did you feel more comfortable starting out with the freshmen before making the move up to the varsity race or were you itching to get over to the 5,000 meter?
I feel like the freshman race was good for a first race. Now, I am starting to lean away from the two mile races because I love the 5k the most. I actually feel most comfortable in the longer races than the short ones.
We have a decent idea about your large invitational meet performances so far. Can you tell us anything about how your dual meet racing has been going? Both individually and as a team.
We have only had one dual meet so far. It was our first race of the season and we used it as a workout. We also have had one batch meet and many PRs were broken that day and we won by a good margin.
How have your team and upperclassmen helped you adjust to the high school regimen? Anyone else?
The upper classmen have welcomed me and the entire freshman squad from the very start of the season. They have taken me under their wing and have taught me running techniques and we talk about all the good runners (current & past). We have become like family and I am happy to be a part of this team. Noah Culbreath told me in the summer if I work hard in practice, then it will pay off during the races. My uncle David has been a runner for a long time. He gave me a list of his PRs and I try to beat his times. We rarely see each other but when we do, we talk about improvement and reaching some of my goals.
How did you originally find yourself getting involved with running?
The first time I ran a 5K was in 2010 at the Dave Logar Memorial 5K. It was a race in memory of my Uncle Andy’s brother. I flew through the course and it just seemed so fun to me. I received an award for my age group. Soon after that race, my mom gave me a running log to keep track of my times so I could see my improvements. That is really when I took an interest in running.
Will you be running all the seasons including fall, winter, and spring or will you be participating in other sports as well?
I plan on running all year long for Kingsway (XC, indoor & spring). I also play soccer year round for the South Jersey Elite Barons and we are currently ranked #9 in New Jersey. I would also like to play basketball, but don’t think I will have any time for it.
What is your favorite work out so far?
My favorite workout is the mile repeat. I like the idea of running at a fast pace, taking a short break, then having to get back on the line. It shows me if I’m strong enough to hold a pace for five miles.
A non-running question now, what is your favorite school subject and why?
Math has always been my best subject. My favorite subject now is Algebra 2. My teacher Mrs. Reynolds is fun and she makes it easy for me to understand the subject.
