Now more than ever, Travis McKay’s Olympic aspirations are becoming more reality than dream.
On Sept. 7, Mississippi State’s McKay was named the Southeastern Conference’s Male Cross Country Athlete of the Week. The honor came after his Sept. 2 performance at the Belmont Opener.
“Travis worked very hard this past summer, and he deserves this recognition,” men’s head coach Steve Dudley said. “As the year goes on hopefully our team can have more of these honors.”
The Edmonton, Alberta native finished first among collegiate runners (third overall) in the Bulldogs’ season opener, posting a time of 15:04.08 in the 5K course and helping lead State to its first team title since 1995.
“It was big. It was nice to get the recognition for our program and what we’re doing,” McKay said. “The SEC is one of, if not the best, cross country conferences in the nation, so to be named the top runner for the week was huge.”
McKay’s run stands as an 11-second improvement to his previous personal-best, something he attributes to hard work and a rigorous training schedule.
“After base training starting July 1, we just ran a lot of miles and did work through July and August to get ready for the season,” McKay said. “When we came back, we continued to work hard, and all that paid off at the race.”
Like other members of the squad, McKay’s training consists of around 11 total sessions per week-seven one-day sessions with four two-a-days. The practice distance run per week averages anywhere from 80-90 miles.
As for his goals for this season, McKay has his eye on the regionals and the SEC Championship.
“As a team, our main focus is on the regionals and SEC Championship, mainly the SEC meet,” McKay said. “We haven’t done so well in previous years in that meet, and we really want to finish in the top half of the conference this year. ”
McKay was pleased with the team’s performance against Alabama this past weekend at the Crimson Classic, where the men’s team placed second behind the Tide and bested in-state rival Mississippi.
McKay paced the Bulldogs for the second consecutive meet, finishing the 8K course in 25:20.15 and placing fifth overall.
“We’re real close,” McKay said. “We raced Alabama and matched up close to them. We’re a little ways away, but I think we’ll be ready in mid-November for the meet.”
Despite the training schedule and the individual accolades earned in the young season, McKay still finds leisure time, hanging out with friends, playing cards and watching movies.
Academically, McKay aspires to go to law school, but he also hopes to earn a spot on the 2008 Olympic team, a goal he comes closer to realizing with each passing meet.