Athlete: Josh Munsch
School: Hays High School
Grade: Senior
PR’s: 5k – 15:44, Mile – 4:21, 800m – 1:58
KR: How did you get into Cross Country?
JM: I ran track in 7th and 8th grade and the distance events were my best ones. I had a few friends in high school that talked me into giving cross country a shot. I ended up loving it.
KR: What do you like most about XC?
JM: I enjoy the team bond that everyone shares. In cross country you really get the chance to hang out with everyone on the team, helps me not get so nervous before races.
KR: Do you have any pre-race or pre-meet rituals/traditions as an individual or team?
JM: Not really, I just try to get a good warm up and stretch in and making sure my breathing is calm. Main thing is to just stay positive in my mind.
JM: I normally run about 45 – 50 miles per week.
JM: My favorite workout would have to be repeat 800’s. They give you a nice strength workout but also have a little bit of speed in it.
JM: It would have to be either the Junction City Meet or our own home meet (Hays Invitational). I would say these two because Junction has a lot of rolling hills, but it is beautiful and the Hays course is not completely flat but really fast.
KR: Would you prefer to race in a muddy mess or on a super fast course?
JM: I would rather race on a super fast course.
KR: What do you like to do outside of Cross Country?
JM: I play guitar and piano, frisbee golf, run track, and like hanging out with friends.
JM: My favorite sports team would have to be the KU Jayhawks.
KR: What do you think we could do in Kansas to make the sport better?
JM: Have cross country as an option for all middle school students and have a state meet for them. I know I would have got into this sport a lot sooner if I would have had the option.
KR: Finally, if you could have one super hero power, what would you want?
JM: Well, probably like most runners might say, super speed. If I had super speed I wouldn’t have to worry about not having a good race!