Profile: Ryan Egan

(11/1/09) Ryan Egan’s running success has improved dramatically in the last couple years. The distance runner has been a member of the Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track teams every year since he was a freshman at Shaker. While his performances early in high school could be described as ordinary, he began to show signs of his potential during his sophomore year. Last year as a junior, Ryan emerged as a valuable contributor to the team’s success. He qualified as an individual for the New York State Cross Country Championships with a strong performance over the Saratoga course at the Section 2 Championships last year. During last year’s Indoor season, his contributions as a member of Shaker relay teams at Eastern States in February and at the NSIC Meet in March helped propel the team to strong performances. During the Outdoor season in 2009, Ryan’s versatility as a runner led to several major accomplishments. He was the individual Suburban Council Champion in the 1600M, he ran legs on the winning 4x800M and 4x1600M relays at the Ithaca Relays and was a member of the Shaker 4x800M relay team that qualified for the New York State Championship meet. As he moves through his final season of Cross Country, his name continues to move higher on the All-time performance lists for Shaker runners. His winning performance at the Albany County Championships was the second fastest time ever recorded by a Shaker athlete over the Colonie Town Park course. Among individual Shaker runners, he moved to #5 all-time at Saratoga State Park, #6 all-time at Grout and #7 all-time at Van Courtlandt Park in the Manhattan Invitational. His relaxed manner has supported his role as the leader of a young Shaker team that has continued to improve throughout the season. Shakerrunning.com recently interviewed Ryan Egan to learn more about this student athlete who continues to steadily improve with the experience he gains as he moves through his final year of high school. Shakerrunning.com recently interviewed Ryan.

Shakerrunning.com Interview with Ryan Egan 11/1/09:

Shakerrunning (SR): How and when did you get involved in running?
Ryan Egan (RE): I started running track back in 7th grade when I was at CBA. I really wasn’t serious and didn't even train and I even did high jump. Then I didn't run again until my first cross country season as a freshman at Shaker.

SR: Your first couple years in high school were not nearly as successful as your junior and senior years. What do you think was the reason for the big improvement?
RE: First, I started taking running a lot more seriously and actually began doing every workout. I also began to enjoy racing instead of just doing it to get it over with.

SR: What is your favorite cross country course?
RE: I would say that my favorite is either Manhattan [Van Cortlandt Park] or Saratoga. I like Manhattan because that is usually my first good race of the year and Saratoga because that’s where all our championship races are held.

SR: What would you consider your favorite racing distance in cross country or track?
RE: I'm not sure if I really have a favorite distance because it changes depending on how I'm currently running.

SR: How do you prepare for a race?
RE: The night before I like to just relax and not do much. Surprisingly, I don't really like to eat pasta the night before. And the day of the race I just try stay loose and have fun. Oh and try to keep Mike [Libruk] from not getting too nervous... he really needs someone to do that.

SR: What advice would you give to a young runner who is just starting to run on a school team?
RE: Just have fun with running. The time goes by real quick.

SR: What are some of your goals for the rest of cross country and track this year?
RE: For XC, I want to run sub-15:25 at Saratoga and go to states again, but this time with the entire team. Then for track I want our DMR or 4 X mile to make it to All-American status in indoor. For the outdoor season, I just want some fast PRs!

SR: How do you like to spend your time when you’re not involved in sports?
RE: Either just hanging out with friends or playing some video games.

SR: Do you consider yourself more of a cross country or track runner?
RE: I personally would consider myself more of a cross country runner. When it comes to track, I don’t have one event in which I specialize. I like that everyone runs the same race in cross country.

SR: What are your plans for running in college?
RE: I'm not really sure yet. I don't really know what to expect in college, so I may have to decide when I get there.

SR: What is one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
RE: Something that I think very few people know about me is that I really enjoy photography. I only have a cheap digital camera, but I’m hoping to get a real legit one as a gift, maybe for Christmas.

SR: Your father was also a successful runner in high school, how has he influenced your running?
RE: He was actually the original reason I started to run. And now he is like a second coach for me. But he also challenges me to beat some of his times or to do better than he did at certain meets.

SR: In what kind of career do you see yourself working in 10 years?
RE: I currently have no idea. I'm probably going to major in college in math or something related to that. Both my mom and brother are involved with computer science, so maybe something in that direction.