Comment on twins from John Jones: "We started the year unranked and should move into the top five to seven in large part due to the twins.
Name: Matthew Johnson
Date of birth: June 22, 1992
School: Spring Valley
Favorite Racer: Puma
Person most admire: My coach
Coach: John Jones
Personal bests: 5K: 17:40, 800: 2:05 (my best is a 2:00:10 for 4x8 at the state meet), 400: 52.33.
Typical training week: We work out twice-a-week, Monday and Thursday. We have Tuesday and Friday as hard days. While Wednesday and Sunday are usually rest days.
Any other interesting notes: Our 4x800 has gotten second in state last year but we plan to win this upcoming year. Our 4x400 is planning to do better than our 3:26 from last year, we plan on making state this year.
scrunners: What made you decide to run cross country?
matthew: Well, I liked track and it gave me more of a chance to stand out than marching band.
scrunners: What do you remember from your first race?
matthew: I remembered I set a personal record of 19:20, which was a minute and four seconds faster than my old one.
scrunners: Did you both decide to run at the same time?
matthew: Well, I was still towards marching band at first, but then we both agreed cross country would be a better choice.
scrunners: How has it been to have a twin on the team?
matthew: It has been pretty fun, we play tricks on our teammate and we both have the same funny jokes.
scrunners: Do you see having a twin on your team help your running?
matthew: Yes, because it gives you an extra boost. We help each other by telling each other to keep running, we do alot of talking during the race.
scrunners: What has been your biggest challenge with a twin on your team?
matthew: The biggets challenge was making sure that we both were in the top five for our team, this year being our first doing cross country, we had alot of work to do.
scrunners: Do you have a specific tradition prior to a race?
matthew: Well, I make sure I don't eat cereal and I don't do alot of runouts.
scrunners: Do you see you two going to the same college?
matthew: I don't want to see us going to the same college, but I do, and most likely we will.
scrunners: How does your coach tell you two apart?
matthew: At first he used to guess, then he started telling us apart by our shoes because we wore different racers.
scrunners: Do you have any other family members that run?
matthew: None other than my brother.
scrunners: What do you think it takes to be a cross country runner?
matthew: It takes courage and you have to have responsibility. You also have to have a strong mind and strong heart. You also might want to have shoes, I think that will help alot.
scrunners: What do you want to achieve the rest of this season and the future?
matthew: I want to finish the season with a personal record of 17:20 or below and I want to help my team get third or better in state.