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Porter third in Foot Locker national meet Date published: 12/14/2008
FROM STAFF REPORTS Mountain View High School senior Thomas Porter finished third overall in yesterday's Foot Locker Cross Country National Final in San Diego. Competing in his third national championship, Porter completed the 3.1-mile Balboa Park course in 15:26, trailing only Solo-mon Haile of Silver Spring, Md. (15;15) and Trevor Dunbar of Kodiak, Alaska (15;22). "It was fantastic. It was more than I could have hoped for," Porter said. "The planets and stars really aligned well for me today." Porter, the Virginia state Group AAA champion, ran with the first pack for the entire race. He slipped to fourth place with less than 200 meters to go but overtook Drew Shields of Fisher, Ind. (15:27) by one second for third. "I passed my dad with about 150 meters to go, and he said, 'Leave no doubt,' which has been the slogan for our team," Porter said. "So I decided to give it one more try, and I was able to pass [Shields]." It was a particularly satisfying finish for Porter, who finished last in the 40-runner field last year after suffering a pre-race injury. He was 31st in 2006. "My finishes here have been sub-par, and that was a huge motivation factor," Porter said. "Knowing what to expect was huge, being a veteran of these things." Porter is scheduled to run in the 2009 USA Cross Country Championships Feb. 7 in Derwood, Md., as well as the indoor track season for Mountain View. Three other Virginia runners placed in the top 40 yesterday: Leoule Degfae of Thomas Edison in Alexandria (12th, 15:46), Kyle Satterwhite of Western Albemarle (20th, 15:55) and Alex Ott of Turner Ashby (39th, 17:30).
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