Kyle Perry, a Brigham Young Cougar senior, has put together an impressive 2008 cross country campaign. He's coming back a second place finisher over 10,000 meters in the Mountain Regional Championships, with a time of 29 minutes, 29 seconds. A runner with great foot speed to match (7:51 3k and 3:59 mile), watch Kyle make a bid for a top spot at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in only a few days.

What are you doing this week in preparation for the NCAA Championships?

Yeah, we're tapering. We're going to do some shorter, faster stuff this week. We've done a lot of tempo runs this season and not as much fast stuff. So we're trying to do a little bit of speed.

Now that things are winding down are you getting nervous?

I wouldn't say nervous. I was more nervous for Regionals. Now I'm just ecross countryited. The biggest thing was getting the team in and now it's going out and doing what we can do. I get more nervous for all the guys performing the way I know they can.

If they do perform the way you know they can, where can your team finish?

I think we're good enough, deep enough, and have enough talent with a small enough spread that we can fight for a podium spot. Obviously there are a couple teams at the top of the podium that I don't think anybody will touch. Behind that, the next eight teams are all good enough to beat each other. Although we're ranked 11th or so, there are a lot of teams in there that if we bring it we can get up there. I'd love to get up on the podium. I've never been up there.

What are your individual goals?

Probably about the same. I've only run at one cross country national championship before and I was like 100th place. Obviously anything better than that. I feel like maybe top ten, top ten if I have a great race. But definitely top 25.

What happened last year? Why weren't you in the meet?

I was ineligible. (Laughs). You know how they have the rule where 60% of your degree has to be completed after a certain semester? Then 80% after another semester?

Yup.

I enrolled in 2002. I'm an old guy. The rule, the percentage is different if you enrolled in 2002. So, according to the current rules, I was eligible, but I was like one class short according to rules in 2002. I missed my season. It was kind of frustrating.

You said you're an old guy. Does that mean the 2002 rule was sort of “grandfathered in” to your situation?

Well...they made the rule a little easier. The percent now. But, I had to adhere to the previous rule because of when I enrolled. They had the credits a little bit different. I was like one class off. I didn't find out. I spent all summer in Provo, just hanging out...doing nothing really. Then I found out like a week before cross country started that I needed one more class and I could of just taken it in the summer. I was pretty mad.

You could have taken any easy class and had your cross country season?

I could have taken pottery...whatever...it killed my season, but led to a good track season. I actually think it helped with the break through, because it gave me the fire that I needed to really turn around and start focusing.

So, it might have been a blessing in disguise?

Yeah.

Do you work with Stephen Shay throughout races?

Yeah, we try to work together. I always have a tendency to get out a little bit faster and he's more of a “relax then come on strong later in the race kind of guy.” The point where we meet, where he catches me or whatever, it's that point where we meet and work together for a few kilometers and just...work together. At Regionals it was a lot different. We had a different plan. We worked together for about 7k, just side by side the whole time. I think that's the best thing, when you have someone who's just as good as you are and you can run fast side by side with him. It's really motivating. We've tried to do that.

Do you think it's going to be hard to find him and hold on to him at nationals in such a big field?

We'll get separated for sure. It happens. But at whatever point we end up close to each other then we'll roll together as long as we can until we get separated or whatever happens. We'll use each other as best we can and if we can't...we'll just run.

Who has better foot speed?

I think I've got the better foot speed. I'm a 1500 guy. He's got a really good, from 6k on, he's got a really good/really strong, late part of the race. If it came down to the last 100, I would get him, but if it came down to the last k...well, that's when he normally pulls away.

That will definitely be something to look for. I wish Flotrack was allowed to cover it like we've done with Pre Nats. I'd have to go to Terre Haute to see it live.

You don't have CSTV? Because that's where it is.

I just hope it's not like last year where I only get to see the men's finish of a video of a video on a mega-tron on site.

(Laughs) I read online somewhere that it's on CSTV, but if you don't have that...maybe NCAA.com or something. Well, I read that on Flotrack or Trackshark or something.

I know we're not allowed to do any coverage.

Oh, man. I felt the same sort of thing. You guys weren't allowed to cover at indoor nationals. I was like “there's nobody there and the coverage was only like 25 minutes long.” I agree with you.

Well, anyway, what's this about you hunting bear with a sling shot?

I went to Alaska this summer and spent a couple of weeks there. I was actually in Canada and there was a bear on the side of the road. For a little while, we shot gummy bears at them. Then they started eating them and we though “oh, maybe we shouldn't feed the bears.”

Cannibal bears...I don't know about messing with those.

(Laughs). Yeah, I'm creating cannibal bears.

You're 6,5. 150 lbs right?

About 155.

And you're obviously athletic. Can you dunk a basketball pretty easily?

Not very easily. I don't have great hops. I can do it on a good day. But I don't have phenomenal hopping or jumping skills.

Do you follow basketball closely?

I do follow it. I have my fantasy basketball team.

That's what I'm looking for. Are Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer the next John Stockton and Karl Malone?

I don't think so. Maybe. Stockton and Malone were pretty dang good.

You must be a Jazz fan then?

I hate saying that I'm not a Jazz fan. But I'm not a particularly Jazz fan. If The Jazz are there I'll cheer for them, but I just kind of...I don't have a specific team to follow as much as I just watch specific players.

What's it like to be a competitive, top DI athlete and a regular college student...while also being married?

It's a lot different. I got married last season, right when cross country started in 2007. She takes care of me. My eating has gotten a lot better. I didn't have very good eating habits, but she takes care of me. Her dad writes health text books and stuff. She comes from a really health oriented family. They make sure I'm not killing myself with junk food.

Other than that, I think it's better. I don't have to worry about any of the other bs. I don't have to worry about dating. I can just focus on my getting my school done and getting my running in. And she's really supportive of it. Personally, I think it's been a lot less stressful the last year...being married. My running has gotten a lot better, so there might be some sort of correlation between the two. We'll give her the credit for that.

Everything really came together for you. You ran some really fast indoor prs. Are you really looking forward to indoor season? 7:40s for the 3k?

I would love to go in the 7:40s, under 7:50...but that race was a perfect setup. I didn't lead an entire step in the race. Every time the rabbit would drop off, someone would push the pace. It was perfect. If I can get in the perfect race then it would be fun, but the big thing is that I'd like to get my mile time a little bit faster. I feel like I've got the leg speed to go faster than 3:59. If I only match what I did in the 3k next season that's fine. 7:51 is pretty dang fast. But I feel that 3:59 is not. It's the one I want to take down a little bit.

How much is a little bit?

A second or two. Anything under 3:59. 3:58...3:57. I know it's really fast. I'd just love to go as fast as I can. I guess that's what it boils down to.

You're a shorter distance guy then?

Yeah. cross country has never really been my thing. Until last week I'd never really been high up in any cross country meets.

You ran about 29:30 at Regionals last week. Are you going to give the 10K a shot come outdoor season?

I kind of want to because if you put that on a track at sea level, instead of altitude...who knows how long the course was...but if I did, it would be really fun to see how fast I could go. I have goals with the steeplechase outdoors. And with the steeplechase, a 5k or two, and maybe a 1500...I don't know if I'll be able to get the time to squeeze a 10k in there.

To be honest, I don't really feel bad for you. Having options of what you want to excel at.

(Laughs) I haven't really focused on anything yet.

It will be the steeple though?

I want to do a few steeples. I did one as freshman and I went 8:56 and haven't done one since. I'd love to try to improve on that, because then I was an 8:15 3k guy. So, take 25 seconds off that and that's a pretty good steeple time.

What's some essential running gear for you?

I don't know. I've read all your other KWIK-Es and I saw you asked this one. I'm the kind of person where, if I can, I'll take off everything and run in just my shorts and a pair of shoes. Whatever shoes I've got. I'm not really particular, I'll just wear the basics. I guess if I have to choose something...I'll choose these shirts we made this year. It's got a picture of my coach, Ed Eyestone, on it. We put it in Oregon Green colors...made to mock Oregon's shirts. The ones that have Bill Dellinger or Prefontaine. We put Coach Eyestone on one.

You could get top dollar for those on the internet!

I'm not selling mine!

What's it like to have Ed Eyestone as a coach?

I love working with him. He's probably the best part about running here at BYU. I mean, he's done it all. I feel like he really knows what he's talking about. He's good at getting the guys motivated for any goals they might have. I feel like he's the complete opposite of any coach I've ever seen. He's like one of the guys with us. He's our friend. He takes the time to coach us, but works with us at a different level.

What's the hardest workout you've ever done?

There's a canyon up here called “Hobble Creek Canyon.” We do an eight mile tempo run up the canyon. It's already hard enough doing an eight mile tempo run at altitude, but then when you do it uphill the whole way...it always takes it toll. I'm normally one of the top guys on the team, but when we do that, I struggle to just finish. It's long and hard and normally it's really hot when we do it.

Is there a course record?

Not really. We normally take the first mile or two to ease into it...at like six minute pace. Then we pick it up. It depends on how long we go. I think if there is a course record, I'm sure Josh Rohatinsky has it. That kid was an animal.

Can you give me a crazy running related story?

It's an old story. It comes from high school. It's still the craziest thing that's ever happened to me. It was me and five other guys in high school. We were running up a canyon near my house. There's just a dirt trail in the middle of nowhere. We see this guy. He's really old, got to be 60 years old, he's kind of bigger. The funniest part about it was that he had saggy man-boobs. He's not wearing a shirt. He's like Native-American or something. I think we found out he was Navajo. As we run by, we're all spread out because we're in high school, he says weird things to each of us. We can't really tell what he's saying. We finish our run. It's like 105 degrees, first off. We're in the middle of nowhere and talking about the weird Indian guy and driving home. We realized that we think he needed water. That's why he was talking to us as we were running by. It was so hot.

We drive to my friend's house and get a big thing of water, drive back up there and find him. It turns out it was a woman, an Indian woman. She's doesn't have her shirt on. She's wandering around in the middle of the desert. I take off my favorite running shirt and give it to her. We give her water and call 911 and get an ambulance up there. I ran up to the road because she was two miles off the road and I had to find the ambulance...you know, to tell them where she was. I got to ride in the police car. Turns out she was 15-20 minutes away from dying from dehydration. She didn't know who she was, where she was from, she couldn't tell them anything...she was so out of it. It was funny because we all thought it was an old, naked Indian man. She was wearing shorts. If you've ever seen Wayne's World II, they talk about following the weird, naked Indian...when we run that trail, we always talk about following the weird, naked Indian.

To the hospital. Those weren't man boobs.

It was really funny because we thought “that man had man boobs.” She just had man face, I guess.