As this year's NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship race slowly began to unfold people started to ask, "Who is this guy in red with the leaders?" While the kilometers went by and many of the pre-race favorites fell off the pace, the man in red continued to hang in there. Coming into the finish the "man in red" was still there and in fact closing on 2nd place. Jess Baumgartner (Southern Utah University) would run out of room in the final stages and would finish 3rd, and once brought into the media tent for a post race press conference the first question asked was "Who are you?" Following his return to the Cedar City campus, American Track and Field was able to track down the "man in red" and find out a little bit more about Jess Baumgartner.

American Track & Field (ATF) - So who is Jess Baumgartner? Where have you come from?
Jess Baumgartner - "I began running the end of my junior year of high school (Cedar High School / Cedar City, UT). Before this I played football, basketball, and baseball. My junior year I was cut from our baseball team so I decided to try running. During my high school running career I stress fractured both of my tibias, so I was not able to train for more than three months consistently. My high school bests were: 4:34 in the mile and 9:36 in the two mile. "

ATF - So after high school you enrolled at SUU. How did the transition from HS to college running go for you?
JB- "I began running for SUU in the fall of 2000 where we are at altitude, roughly 5,800 ft. I fractured my tibia again within the first week of competition, so I did not race that season. In January of 2001 I left school for two years to serve a proselyting mission for my church in Sydney Australia. Yes, I am Mormon."

ATF - Following your mission how did your career go?
JB - "I returned in 2003 and red-shirted indoor and outdoor track and field. I began running again during the 2003 cross country season. I had been battling with hip problems the previous summer and during our first meet I fractured the neck of my femur. So I sat out the remainder of the season. I once again started running toward the end of the 2004 indoor season, and tore my feet up at our conference meet, so I had to take a couple of months off again. I was able to run through the summer with no major injuries and finally compete in the 2004 cross country season. I earned an at-large bid for the NCAA championships that year and finished in 51st place."

ATF - So after a series of injuries and some success at the NCAA Cross Country meet in 2004, you must have been ready for the next step.
JB - In 2005 I ran the 5K at regionals in Oregon, but was forced to pull out of the race because my previous foot injuries were opening up again. My times for that season were 29:16 in the 10,000 meters and 14:10 in the 5,000 meters.

ATF - Yet more injuries cut your season short.
JB - "After another month off to recover I had a great summer of training and opened up the 2005 cross country season in the best shape I had been in. After a few good races I broke my second metatarsal in our home meet, the week before conference. I was out for two months and started to train in the middle of indoor. In outdoor of 2006 I ran 29:01 in the 10,000 at Mt. Sac and ran 14:05 for 5,000 at the Stanford Invitational. A week before our conference meet I strained some back muscles pretty bad. I still ran at conference, but then took the next two weeks off, which including sitting out the 5K at regionals."

ATF - When did you finally get healthy and ready for what was to come?
JB - "My back began to feel better and I was able to train from 6-10 miles a day for the two weeks before outdoor NCAA championships, so I decided I would run the10,000. I guess I was not quite back. I finished in 23rd. I was able to run throughout the summer and until now without any major injuries. I was forced to sit out a few weeks here and there at the beginning of the season with an achilles and back injuries, but nothing too serious."

ATF - With all your injuries what kept on bringing you back? Did you ever think about just giving up on the sport?
JB - Throughout the injuries in high school I thought that it was just something that went along with the sport, so I did not think about giving it up. After my first stress fracture in college, fall 2000, I really thought about giving the sport up, but I left on a mission and made a decision to give it one more chance when I came back. From that point on I thought about giving the sport up with each serious injury. However, there was something inside of me that would not let that happen. I still do not know exactly what it is, but I have just been determined to see what I can do with running and hopefully use this talent I have been given for some good.

ATF - When do you feel it all turned around for you in 2006?
JB - "A couple weeks before regionals I was finally able to get my mileage back up to 10-11 miles a day. I had been anywhere from 6-11 miles a day throughout the season due to the injuries. During the final few months of the season I began doing my speed workouts on the road to prevent further injury to my back and other sore areas. I think that this was a wise decision by my coach to help me stay free of injuries."

ATF - So now it is onto the regional race and the first time you have been able to go into a race with a decent base of training behind you.
JB - "At regionals I felt like I had a great race (finishing 7th) and I was finally getting back into shape. Our team had also run well and we were hoping we could all go run at nationals. Then I barely got in, and I am very grateful I did."

ATF- What was your goal and thoughts going into the national race?
JB - Going into nationals I had the goal of placing in the top 15 or 20. I was feeling pretty good and knew I just needed to get up to the front of the pack early and just run my race. I was able to get to the front early and I just found a couple of runners I had run with before. I had run with Josh Rohatinsky (the eventual national champ from BYU) a few times and my plan was to stick with him throughout the race."

ATF - How did the national race unfold?
JB - "The pace of the race felt good. There were a couple of times when I began to fall back a little, but I just threw in a small surge and caught back up. My main targets in the race were the 7, 8, and 9K markers. At 7K there were still about eight runners up toward the top. At this point I knew that if I did not die too hard I would be able to reach my goal of top 15. During the next 2K those in the top pack seemed to drop off one by one until there were only three of us left. At this point the chance of winning the race crossed my mind. Josh and Nef (Aria of Stanford) began to pull away at 1K left and I was beginning to feel a little tired. I thought I would just stay where I was, and third would not be too bad of a finish. Then when I turned the last corner I seemed to have a lot more energy so I began to kick. I saw that I was coming up on Nef rather quickly, but I ran out of space."

ATF - After such a high finish what were your thoughts?
JB - "After the race I felt good about my performance, but it did not really feel like anything out of the ordinary. It just felt like any other race and I was ready for my cool down. After I was taken back to have an interview, the importance of my finish began to become a little more real. Since the race, the magnitude of my placing has begun to set in. It was surprising how fast the news had traveled and everyone in the community. Much of the community was really excited and have been giving me their regards since."

ATF - What are your plans for the rest of the year and next?
JB - "I will run track this next season and I will graduate in May of 2007. I still have one season of eligibility in cross country and I am thinking about returning to run. I was planning on attending medical school next fall, but I am not sure what I will do."

ATF - Do you now view yourself as one of the contenders for the individual cross country crown in 2007?
JB - I think that I am a contender for the individual cross country crown in 2007, but if I do come back and run next year I will just do what I can and enjoy the experience. It is difficult to assess what can happen between now and then, but I would love the opportunity to run for the title in 2007.

ATF - What type of medicine are you planning to study?
JB - At this point I am planning on going out in orthopedics. My interest in this field of medicine has come largely due to my experience with the many running injuries. I am also thinking about working in the field of pediatrics.

ATF - Are you planning on running the USATF Cross Country Championships (World Championship qualifier) in Boulder in February?
JB - "Regarding the USATF XC World Trials, I have not really heard much about it or know about it. So I do not have an answer about that yet. Because I began running late in my high school career and have had no runners in my family I still do not know too much about the different championships there are for running."

ATF - Has your third place finish given you a big boost of confidence in your abilities?
JB- "After placing third I feel more confident in racing for sure. I have always felt like I had it in me, but was never given the chance because of all my injuries. So it was nice to be able to be in good shape a few weeks leading up to a big race and be able to run well on race day. I hope to be able to continue to run well and I think this confidence will be a great boost in the remainder of my running career."

ATF - You said you came to the sport late, who are some of your running heros? Do you have any?
JB - "The only runners I know about are those talked about by my teammates like Pre and Billy Mills. There are attributes that I admire in both of these athletes and I think it takes a lot to really excel in any sport."

ATF - What is your biggest strength and weakness as a runner?
JB - One of my biggest strengths is that I am a tough runner, physically and mentally. I think I can perform well under most circumstances and, when in shape, I have performed well at championship meets. My running form has been a weakness to me since I began running, but I am constantly working on it and I think it is beginning to improve.

ATF-What do you like to do for fun away from running?
JB - Away from running I really enjoy water sports. Wake boarding, waterskiing, knee boarding, and tubing are what I really look forward to in the summer. At other times I enjoy most sports and just like to keep active.