Austin Duckworth Adds to Cross Country Team's Depth
11/19/2008 12:00:00 AM
Nov. 19, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Austin Duckworth has tried just about every sport he could do, but never stuck with anything. That is, until he found cross country and track. After the first few years of running, he learned to love the sport and continued running.
Eventually, Duckworth would become the third best runner in the state of Alabama at the high school level. He also is the Vestavia Hills High School record holder at both 5,000 meters and 3200 meters.
"My dad made me run a 5k one time and the parent of someone on the track team saw the race and told me I should go out for cross country in 7th grade," Duckworth said. "I did, and after a few years, ended up loving it."
To be able to run at 100 percent for 3.1 miles, you must have a lot of discipline, but one must also be able to push beyond the body's limits. In Duckworth's case, the distance of 5,000 meters is his favorite to race.
"My favorite race is the 5k because you are going hard the entire way and at the end it's a race of who has the most guts," Duckworth said. "You don't have to bide your time like you do in the 8k or 10k."
After high school, Duckworth knew he wanted to run at the college level. When deciding on a school, he wanted to be part of a great tradition with great coaches. Alabama is surely becoming just that and it was only an hour away from home in Vestavia Hills, Ala.
"The University has a great athletic tradition and the cross country team is slowly becoming a part of that tradition," Duckworth said. "Coach Walker is a tremendous coach that has proven he can make you a great runner."
Duckworth is already making strides running for the Crimson Tide as a freshman by running as high as the number seven runner on the team. Though his season is over, he was part of Alabama's first SEC Championship team since 1973. Look for Duckworth to make a strong showing during the track season starting up in January 2009.
