BYU senior Kyle Perry won the national title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:29.24 last weekend at the NCAA outdoor championships in Fayetteville, Ark. The Alta High product is now training to compete in the USA championships next week for a chance to go to the world championships in Berlin. Jeff Call caught up with Perry to talk about the steeplechase, his championship and his future plans.
Q: How would you describe the steeplechase?
A: The easiest way to describe it is, it's just under two miles long and it has five barriers per lap. One of them you jump into the water on. What most people don't know is, the barriers aren't like a normal hurdle. They're solid, about as heavy and thick as a railroad tie, and they're mounted to the ground. If you hit one, you could go down.
Q: Going into your NCAA meet, you had run only five steeplechase races and had won one only, not including heats. How did you pull off winning the championship despite the lack of experience in that event?
A: I had a really good base. I realized that in every other event I've run — the mile or the 3,000 meters or 10,000 meters — I felt I could beat the others in the field. I didn't see a reason why a middle event like that should be any different, just because there are hurdles. I knew I had the legs to beat anyone in the field over 3,000 meters. There was some inexperience, maybe, because I had run only a few (steeplechases), but I had experience with the distance and I have a lot of racing experience.
Q: Can you describe how the championship race unfolded?
A: Hours going into the race, I was really nervous. I don't think I had been that nervous in a long time. But having my teammate Rich Nelson with me, we talked about it and we knew we needed to do the same thing we had done all season. The nerves didn't settle until just minutes before walking out for the race. Then I got an excited feeling, like, "I got this." During the race, there was a pack of guys that were setting a good pace. I sat near the front of the pack. With about three-and-a-half laps to go, I decided it was time to make the move. It was my championship to lose. With a lap to go, the field had strung out. There was one guy with me and I put in an additional surge to hang on the best I could. He faded and ended up fourth. With two hurdles and a water jump to go, I told myself, "Don't make a mistake." When I won, I was surprised because every big race I've won in my career, I've won in the final 100 meters by passing somebody. I don't think I'd ever pulled away like that.
Q: What's up next for you?
A: The USA championships are next weekend in Eugene (Oregon). You have to be top three at that meet to be eligible for the world championships (in Berlin, Germany). It would be fun to go to the world championships. I don't like going into any race planning on it being my last race. So I don't plan on the USA championships being my last race. If I run how I want to run, I'll make it to Berlin. But that's not the focus.
Q: What does the future look like for the BYU men's track program?
A: The team performed well this year. There are a lot of guys behind me who can go farther than I've gone. Rich Nelson is coming back next year and he'll be a national contender for sure. We have a couple of guys coming back from missions who did well before their missions. In the steeplechase, I feel like it's going to be a tradition that will continue on stronger than ever. I got motivated to run the steeple because I got to see Josh McAdams win a national championship (in 2006). The guys younger than us will be motivated because they got to see Josh and me win one. I think it will progress to the point to where we'll have a guy (from BYU) in the finals every year.