Michelle McCain & Jennifer Thompson, Managing Editor of Photography and Health & Fitness Editor

Photo by Michelle McCain

How did you get interested in running?

My Dad. When I was 6 he started training me. He ran for the Ukraine National Team.

What were your accomplishments this year with cross-country?

I won Conference.  I went to the Nike Regional Meet. I got second in two races.

How often do you run?

I usually run on my own everyday. In the summer I run two times a day. For distance training I run a 10 to 12 mile set, and other times I run a four-mile set fast. I do both in the summer with the longer one in the morning and the shorter in the afternoon.

How do you feel before a meet? How do you feel while running?

Before a meet I am really nervous. But, when I run I don’t really feel anything. It’s just blank. It’s the best way to run.

Do you plan to continue running in the future?

[I plan to] in college. I got some offers already from [University of Central Arkansas] and [University of Arkansas at Little Rock]. The school I’d really like to run for is Stanford.

What are your other hobbies?

I play video games a lot: Call of Duty and Modern Warfare Two. I play online with my friends on X-Box live.

Do you ever visit the Ukraine, where you were born?

I’ve lived here since I was 2. I visit there every year to see my family. I hate it. It’s violent, mean, terrible and cold.

What has been the most exciting moment of your life?

Probably the most exciting moment was when I was 13 and I ran the [Little Rock] Marathon. I ran it in 3:43:14, [that’s 3 hours, 43 minutes and 14 seconds.] I actually had to lie to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette when they interviewed me and say that I was 16 instead of 13.  You had to be 16 to run the Marathon.

What is your favorite book?

My favorite book is Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonigan. It’s a bunch of short stories that he wrote in the ‘60s. It has a lot of futuristic themes, and I like that.

If you could go to anywhere, where would it be?

I’ve already been to most of Europe. I want to go to Peru. When I’m older, I want to live in Africa. I have an uncle there. He is an exotic animal dealer, and I want to work with him.  He sells animals to zoos.