East County Athlete of the Week: Johnny Reid

Johnny Reid is a junior cross country runner at Lakewood Ranch High. He finished fourth (16:17) in the North Port Invitational  Sept. 23. 

How long have you been running?

Competitively, I have been running since my freshman year of high school. It was more of a way to meet friends and be social. I had run before, but not a lot. I kept improving and I really enjoyed. 

What is the appeal of running to you now?

Just the sense of accomplishment. You have goals coming in and if you can accomplish them at the end, you feel so good about yourself. You put in the hard work, and it all pays off at the end of the race. 

Do you prefer running track and field or cross country?

Personally, I prefer cross country. I'm better at track, but I enjoy cross country more. There's more of a team aspect to it. In track, there's a bunch of different events. You do have team scores, but in cross country, we're all running the same event. We're tighter. There's not as many people that do cross country. 

What is your favorite running memory?

I would say it's for track, when we were All-Americans in June. We got third in the nation. That was pretty cool, just the atmosphere. It was at night under the lights, a big crowd, big competition. 

Did you play other sports in your childhood?

Yeah, my main sport growing up was basketball. I played junior varsity last year, but I stopped this year to focus on running full time. 

What hobbies do you have?

I like hanging with my friends, going to the beach (Siesta Key), and then on my own I like relaxing and watching Netflix.

What is your favorite TV show?

I really like "Friends."

What is your dream vacation?

I don't go on vacation very often, but I guess somewhere like Paris. That would be cool, to get out of the country. I've been to Canada, but I don't really count that. I want to go to Europe. That's why Paris would be cool. 

What is your favorite subject in school?

I enjoy journalism. I like to write. 

What is the best piece of advice you have received?

Can I give you my favorite quote? It's basically advice. It's from (U.S. Olympian) Steve Prefontaine. "I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end." You're fighting and clawing for everything you have. It's blood and guts, basically. I always try to give my all at the end. Usually, the way I run, I run from behind, so I make that my hardest mile. 

Finish this sentence: "Johnny Reid is ... "

... dedicated and never gives up. The sport of running, people make fun of it for the short shorts or whatever. The truth of the matter is nobody likes running. I think it's one of the toughest sports out there because you have to be mentally tough, not just physically tough. You have to work hard to get everything you want.