Clayton Carper Steps Up

AMES, Iowa -- Consistency, persistence, and hard work. That's what it takes to move an aspiring runner to the top seven of a ranked NCAA Division I cross country team. Just ask Iowa State's Clayton Carper, who placed 41st among 224 runners at the Roy Griak Invitational in Falcon Heights, Minn. on Sept. 27.

“I trained smarter and more consistently over the summer this year than I did last year,” Carper said. “I came into the season with the thought of being a big contributor.”

His efforts are paying major dividends. Carper was named the Big 12 Conference runner of the week after winning the Bulldog Invitational Aug. 29 in Des Moines.

Carper, a Mason City, Iowa native, first started running back in middle school, but never really got into it. Then during the spring of his freshman year at Mason City High School a friend convinced him to go out for the track team.

“I had a pretty decent season, winning conference at the freshman level, so I decided to try out for cross country the following fall,” Carper said.

It was during that first cross country season, in 2003, that Carper initially realized that he had talent.

“I made it to the Iowa high school cross country meet and placed 28th out of 116 runners (in Class 4-A),” Carper said.

Carper followed that state meet debut with two more successful prep seasons. In 2004 he placing 19th as a junior, among 117 runners at the Iowa state cross country meet. Mason City finished 13th as a team. Carper's current ISU teammate Kiel Uhl won the race for Des Moines Roosevelt. In 2005, Carper led the Mohawks to a ninth-place team effort at the state meet by placing fifth individually in a 115-man field.

When choosing a college, Carper didn't really consider cross country as a factor.

“I chose Iowa State University because I knew that it was where I wanted to go to school,” Carper said. “ISU has a great engineering program, which is what I was considering going into as a career.”

Carper is currently a civil engineering major, with hopes of specializing in structural engineering. He spent his collegiate freshman year deciding on a specific major. The Cyclone chose civil engineering because he was good at math and science, an area in which he believes can afford him the chance to have an impact on his community and society after he earns his bachelor's degree.

After only participating in two cross country meets his first year on the Iowa State cross country team, Carper made many improvements.

“Last year didn't go the way I wanted. I really wanted this season to be different.”

Over the summer Carper trained more seriously.

“My mileage was higher this summer than it had ever been, but a big part of it was running smarter,” Carper said. “I gradually built up my mileage until I got up to my goal of 90 miles per week.

Working this hard during the summer helped Carper build a solid base for camp.

“When Clayton came to camp this year he was a completely different runner,” Iowa State head cross country coach Corey Ihmels said.

“Because of the consistency in my training during the summer, the workouts at camp this year were more efficient and effective,” Carper said.

Coming into the 2008 season Carper had set many individual goals for himself.

“I wanted to make the top seven of the varsity team, which I did, but pushing it even further I want to also break into the top five and score points for the team.”

Carper's other goals include breaking his personal record time by a minute as well as other self-challenges.

“They're hard goals but I like to set them high and I know that if I stay consistent I can achieve them,” Carper said.

Carper also believes that the ISU team has a lot of potential this year.

“Before I got to camp this year I thought that we would be good enough to compete with the top 25 teams,” Carper said. “When I got there and saw how much our team had improved I knew we could not only compete in the top 25 but beat a majority of the teams and break into the top 10 at nationals this year.”

When asked about the upcoming Big 12 Conference Championship on Nov. 1, Carper was enthusiastic.

“When I found out that Iowa State was hosting the Big 12 meet this year I was really excited because I have run the course so many times and know it so well. All of my family and friends will be able to attend. Most importantly, I will be able to stay in my normal routine, not having to live out of a hotel, which will make it a lot easier for me and our team.”

Players Mentioned

Clayton Carper

Clayton Carper

Kiel Uhl

Kiel Uhl

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics