Sheila SobchikPhillip Reid’s legs have earned him many, many miles under his belt.
A top member of the men’s cross country team and a kinesiology junior, cross country running has been a passion since his very early childhood, when at age 5 or 6 he took up youth track.
While other kids his age were out playing on the Little League baseball diamond, he was out running.
This passion would continue through junior high school, when he “went through the ranks,” as Reid puts it, and got involved with the “legit” seventh-grade youth cross country team, and it brought him to the fateful Humboldt State running camp in high school, where he met his future Cal Poly men’s cross country head coach, Mark Conover.
Conover was the keynote speaker at the camp, and the two hit it off from the start. Conover began discussing Reid’s future college plans with him, and the two decided that Cal Poly would be the best choice for him in the ensuing fall. Reid said that “it seemed like a great place.”
Conover and Reid met in July 2001, and by February 2002, Reid had finalized his plans to come to Cal Poly.
Conover saw incredible potential for Reid on the men’s cross country team at Cal Poly. He had won numerous state championships in different events in years prior, and was “highly touted,” Conover said.
So far this year, Reid has proven to be one of Conover’s best investments. In his three years at Cal Poly, he has posted consistently strong results, but this year has been especially successful.
In September, Reid was the top Cal Poly finisher at the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Oregon, placing 14th with a time of 23 minutes, 46.03 seconds on the 8K course, leading the team to its third-place finish.
On Oct. 29, at the Big West Conference Championships hosted by Cal Poly at the Fairbanks Course, Reid finished at the head of the pack with a time of 25:45 on the 8K course. His win helped the Mustangs win their fourth straight Big West title and seventh overall.
Over the years, Reid has suffered many serious injuries, but has always found a way to fight through it and get back on the track. Most recently, in the spring of 2005, he suffered a stress fracture in his right femur, but by next season, he was out on the track and on the road to recovery. Reid said that the recovery process was difficult, but that “when you’re out for that long, you want what you can’t have,” and that mindset drove him to get back into his previous shape.
Conover enjoys the guidance that Reid exhibits with his teammates, and said that his recoveries from so many injuries are “a testament to his commitment.”
Conover also said that Reid gets along very well with his teammates, and described him as “a warrior. He is able to instill that attitude in everybody on the team.”
“He can’t wait for Saturdays,” Conover added of the day Reid’s races are held.
Many athletes like to follow a set routine or participate in a particular ritual before their event. Reid is no exception, electing to listen to music to get focused before a race. He shows a particularly introverted side, not interacting much with other competitors, in order to “get into the zone,” Reid said.
He especially enjoys the competitive aspect of cross country running.
“I like to push myself, show the world what I can do,” Reid said. He also said that he considers the anticipation, anxiety and stressful nature of the races “a necessary evil.”
Reid’s success made him realize how lucky he is to be able to do so well at something he loves so much.
“It’s so nice to dedicate yourself to something and have it work out,” he said. He prefers to keep “a level keel” and always focus on the upcoming race, and to enjoy success only to a point, in order to prevent his ego from getting too inflated.
Reid plans to continue his running career after college, although he is not sure where it will take him next.
“I’d definitely like to continue,” Reid said. “I don’t think I’ll stop anytime soon.”