Hillcrest eighth grade cross country runners Austin and Brady Buffum share thoughts on the future in the sport, how they started and having an older brother on the team.
Name: Austin and Brady Buffum
Date of birth: Feb. 26, 1994
School: Eighth grade at Bryson (Second year varsity for Austin)
Person most admire: Coach Robby Bell
Coach: Robby Bell
Personal bests: Austin 18:23 and Brady 20:03
Typical training week: Hill workous, speed training, and mileage
scrunners: What made you decide to run cross country?
Austin and Brady: Our friend introduced us to the sport right before our seventh grade year.
scrunners: What do you remember from your first race?
Austin and Brady: Our first real race was Coaches Classic at Clemson Sanhills and the heat was really bad and we felt like we ran slow.
scrunners.com: Did you both decide to run at the same time?
Austin and Brady: Yes.
scrunners.com: How has it been to have a twin on the team?
Austin and Brady: We always have someone to run with and to encourage each other.
scrunners: Do you seeing having a twin on the team helping your running?
Brady: I strive to catch Austin in our races if we are running the same race.
scrunners: What has been your biggest challenge with a twin on the team?
Austin and Brady: Our biggest challenge is that people expect us to run the same times.
scrunners: Do you see you two going to the same college?
Austin and Brady: Yes.
scrunners: How will you adapt to college with or without your twin?
Austin and Brady: We don't see ourselves not going to the same school so we will be really able to adapt fine.
scrunners: How does your coach tell you two apart?
Austin and Brady: Coach Bell can tell us apart but other coaches around school tell by the colors we generally wear Austin (red) and Brady (blue).
scrunners: Do you have any other family members that run?
Austin and Brady: Our older brother Drew also runs on the Hillcrest team.
scrunners: What do you think it takes to be a cross country runner?
Austin and Brady: Heart and endurance.
scrunners: What do you want to achieve the rest of this season and the future?
Austin and Brady: To have our team qualify for state and train until we are running in the 16's.
Note from parents: As a parent of twins it has been an interesting experience watching as Austin and Brady have progressed over the last 1.5 years while running on the high school team while during middle school. Drew, who is a sophomore, often says how they fit right in at the high school because they are there so much between cross country and track seasons. Austin was actually on the 3200-meter relay team that qualified for state last year. Austin who runs varsity always has Brady at the starting line wishing him the best and the roles are reversed when Brady runs the junior varsity races as both want the other to always do their best.