Feature Friday: Avery Keith Is Ready To Rock The Trails

Becoming a distance runner wasn't remotely close to being on Avery Keith's radar during his middle school days.

Keith was focused solely on soccer, which he played since he was a little kid in soccer crazed Westfield.

But that all changed when Covid struck.

While the pandemic in 2020 was a very difficult and challenging time, it also wound up serving as a springboard for Keith into a brand new sport.

Because there were no soccer practices held in the summer during the pandemic as Keith prepared to enter his freshman year at Westfield, Keith's coaches gave all the players workouts to do on their own.

There was lots of running involved in those workouts, and Keith poured everything he had into those runs to get into the best shape possible to enhance his chances of making the soccer team. Keith was so fit that he crushed the 1.5-mile run during soccer tryouts, which convinced him that to run track indoors and outdoors . 

It was obvious right away that Keith had the drive and potential to become a big distance running star. 

After a strong freshman year that saw him run 4:37 for 1,600 and 9:45 for 3,200, Keith's exploded with a huge breakthrough season as a sophomore indoors in 2022. He won the 3,200 at the Union County Championships and then dropped a huge PR at the time of 9:12.73 to place sixth in the 3,200 at the Meet of Champions.       

Keith's success during his sophomore year convinced him that it was time to make the switch from soccer to cross-country and run all three seasons. 

So last fall, Keith joined the Blue Devils XC team and produced a sensational rookie campaign on the trails.

Keith, the top XC newcomer in the state, led the Blue Devils to the North Jersey, Section 2 Group 4 title, a runner-up finish at the State Group 4 Championships, and a fourth place finish at the Meet of Champions, 

Keith's biggest personal highlights came when he ran 15:59 at the Shore Coaches Invitational, which makes him the fourth fastest returner at Holmdel Park this season, a runner-up finish in 15:41, No. 4 all-time at Warinanco Park, at the Union County Championships, and he finished 6th at the Group 4 Championships, 10th at the Meet of Champions, and ran 16:10 at Bowdoin Park to place 9th at the Nike NE Regional.

After getting a taste of XC for the first time last year, Keith can't wait to rock the trails this fall, and with a year of experience now on his resume, he has some very big goals as the leader of Westfield's loaded pack.

NJ MileSplit recently caught up with Keith in between his summer workouts to get his thoughts on the upcoming season. Keith, the perfect example of a team first guy, talked about the huge goals that his team has for the season, some of his personal goals, his journey to become one of the state's best distance runners, his summer training, what it means to him to run for a storied program like Westfield, and a whole lot more.  

How is your summer training going? I am sure you're cranking out the heavy mileage and building a strong base. How many miles a week have you been running, and where have you mostly been running? Is your training different from last summer? If so, in what way is it different? 

How would you describe your fitness level heading into this season? Is this the most fit you've ever been? 

When did XC training begin for you and your teammates, and how much do you feel it helps for teammates to train together as often as possible throughout the summer? I know you and your teammates have been putting in lots of mileage together.

We started training for cross about two weeks after the spring season ended. I think that training with your teammates who will be racing by your side during the cross country season is really important for team success. We have official team practices four times a week and on the other two days we hold captains practices for whoever wants to come. Practice isn't mandatory yet but the turnout that we get for these practices is a testament to how dedicated and committed everyone is to developing themselves and the team. Not only is training with the guys who you'll be racing with good for fitness but it also makes tedious summer miles more enjoyable, and that's what really matters. Also having these practices that you know a lot of the team will be at helps to keep us accountable everyday. Our team is one of the biggest in the state, we have something like 70 kids and it's cool to see kids of all ages and levels showing up day in and day out,e working hard every day. 

I know you and your team just came back from camp in Vermont. How much do you think it helps in your preparation for the upcoming season to run together and bond at camp, and what was the training like in Vermont?

It's been a tradition for years now to go up to Vermont for a week every summer, this was my third year. Camp is a lot of people's favorite thing about summer training. It's a chance for the younger kids to open up a bit and for the team to just hangout. While a lot of the camp is focused around running, there is a lot of downtime where we just play spikeball, pool, volleyball or just hangout. At camp, there are two runs a day. One early morning easy double on campus and the other one is a bit longer in the afternoon. We get bussed out to a new run everyday and all of the runs are through mountains so we get great elevation training. We don't do any crazy runs while we are there, it's just base mileage but it's still great for fitness. Everyday there are guest speakers such as olympians, college coaches and pro runners. There are also breakout sessions everyday on an array of running topics. It's a week where you can immerse yourself in running culture and training and it's also just a great week with friends and teammates. 

After running a Holmdel PR of 15:59 last year, which makes you the fourth fastest returner in the state, dropping a 15:41, No. 4 all-time at Warinanco Park, running 16:10 at Bowdoin to place 9th at the Nike NE Regional, and placing second a sectionals, 6th at Groups, and 10th at the Meet of Champions, what type of goals do you have for yourself this season? What times would you like to hit at Holmdel, Warinanco, and Bowdoin etc?

Last year, being my first cross-country season I didn't really know what to expect. I had a great coach (Chris Tafelski) and teammates to help me but it still felt a bit foreign. This year I feel like I'm going to be a lot more comfortable and confident as a competitor. Coach Tafelski has always been big on racing people rather than the clock and this is an ideology that he has instilled on the whole team. One thing that last year taught me is that there are a lot of variables on a cross country course and they are out of your control. As a runner of course I have time goals in the back of my mind but my priority will be winning races. Like you said I came close to a Sectional title last year and I would like to win Sectionals this year both individually and as a team. Holmdel is an unforgiving course and you never know how it's going to run on a given day. Placing well at Holmdel at big races such as Groups and the MOC are my priority but in terms of time, I would like to get close to 15:40. Bowdoin is a fun course in my opinion. It requires more strategy than some other courses to run. Placing higher at NXN is a goal for sure and in terms of time, around the 16:00 mark. 

What are your thoughts on the course record at Warinanco (15:28 by Shane Brosnan in 2021)? Do you think there's a chance with all the talent in the county, led by you and Jimmy Wischusen, that the record could go down this season?

You are coming off a great season on the track with PR's of 9:06.64 two for miles outdoors and 4:15.87 for 1,600 indoors. How much of a huge confidence builder was that for you, and how much hungrier did that make you to have the best XC season of your career this fall?

This past track season was definitely a strong one for me. I'm happy with the times I ran and how I raced but it wasn't too surprising to me. I knew what I was capable of going into this past track season but I am still happy with the results. The times have given me more confidence for the coming XC season though. I've proven to myself that good times come when I am racing people. I've also proven to myself that I am an intelligent racer which has given me and will continue to give me confidence. The times I have run have also shown me that no one is out of reach for me this season. I don't think there is anyone out there that I can't beat and I am excited to get out there.

How about your team, Avery.  You guys return a lot of great talent from last year with 5 of your top 7 back and a returning Holmdel 5-man average of 16:37, which makes the Blue Devils the third fastest returning team in the state. What are the team goals for you and your teammates this season? I imagine winning Group 4 after the tough runner-up finish to Cherokee last year, making a run at the Meet of Champions title, trying to win the county title after the close loss last year to UC, and qualifying for Nike Nationals are the biggest targets for your team?

The Group 4 title is probably our biggest goal this year. After coming so close last year, we all want it this year. I would just like to contribute as much as possible to the team in order to set us up for the most success possible. Winning Groups as an individual is definitely a personal goal, but the team comes first. In terms of time, I would like to get to the 15:40 mark at Holmdel. For Bowdoin, around 16:00 is a goal, but I'm not sure how often I'll get to race it, if at all, before NXR. Qualifying for NXN has been on our team's radar since last year. I came close individually (ninth place), but it would be a lot sweeter if we could do it as a team. NXN isn't super important to us though, right now we have our goals set on Groups and the MOC. We have big ambitions for the MOC title this year. These meets are definitely our priority before NXN. 

Could this team be even better than your team was last year that placed 2nd in Group 4 and 4th at the Meet of Champions last year?  How much potential do you see with this pack and how excited are you for this season?

I think that the team this year is better than last year, maybe even the best we've ever had. We are returning a lot of guys, and most of our top 7 will be seniors. I've been running with these boys for four years now, and it feels like it's all been leading up to this season. I know how hard we've all worked and how dedicated we all are to the sport and to each other. The Group 4 title is our priority now and after that we have our sights set on the MOC title as well. I am really excited for the potential of these boys and what we can do this season, I don't think anything is out of reach for us. 

 

When was your first big breakthrough moment when you began to realize that you could do big things as a distance runner? 

As a freshman, I was running decent times, but I was inexperienced and didn't really know what was fast. It was my sophomore year when I ran 9:25 for my first indoor 3200 and won the county championship that I realized I had potential. Later that season, I ran 9:12 for the 3200 which further convinced me that I had some talent.

What do you love the most about being a distance runner, and what do you love the most about running in N.J.?

What do you love the most about running for Westfield, one of the greatest programs in state history?

Westfield has historically been a great program and a lot of that is due to our coach, Tafelski. We are all lucky to have him. His reputation within Westfield and within the community of running is a testament to his love for coaching and for the sport. He is committed to bettering every single kid on the team. And one of the special things about our team is that we don't make cuts, so we regularly have 70 kids on the XC team and 130 on the track team. The depth on our team is always incredible and the coaching as well as comradery on the team is responsible for that. I have always felt at home on the team and the boys I run with are some of my best friends. They are what make the sport so enjoyable for me. 

Last year, you opened your season at the Cherokee Challenge. When do you plan to open up this season? Same plan?

I am not too sure as of now. We usually do a two mile time trial at our local park, Tamaques, at the end of August and then the Cherokee Challenge but It's looking like we will open our seasons a bit later this year. There is a chance that Bowdoin is my opening race. 

If you could for a long run with any 4 runners (dead or alive) who would it be and why?