Garrett Faragher is a guy that has overcome many obstacles to be at where he is now. He started out just like any other kid doing XC and Track, but he put in the work and managed to rise in the ranks to becoming one of the best distance runners in the state. Garrett managed to place 16th at the Footlocker West Regional where he ran a new PR of 16:04.70 for a 5K. That's insane considering his best 5k of his life came from the dreaded Mt Sac course!
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What was your most memorable race/throw/jump/vault/moment?
For me getting 16th at Footlocker West this year was big. My goal was top 20 which I reached, and I cut 2 minutes off my time from last year at that race. I also had a strong finish and moved up a lot over the last half mile. Alpha-Dog for track was great this year as well, I hung with a fast group of guys and nearly won which was a big confidence booster and helped me realize I can hang with the top guys in the state.
Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
It's changed a lot as I've improved, but this last year at XC I saw Ryan Raff as my competition because he was in my region. I never beat him at XC, but I did come close once at track. Him being as fast as he is, he helped me to run faster and push myself harder in races. As far as track goes, I would say Wyatt Evans because I raced him a lot, he runs smart and has run some great times. I also see the Timpanogos guys as competition and I try to work together with them at races because I am good friends with them and know what they can run.
What was your greatest accomplishment?
I would say just a culmination of the journey and seeing how far I have come. After running my Freshman year, I missed my whole sophomore XC season and had a late start on track that year. My junior year I was frustrated because I wasn't running as good as I hoped. But I feel like the consistent hard work I was putting in those years gave me a strong base for my senior year and everything I have run now is just a result of the hard work I was putting in all those years and the things I learned along the way. So I'm proud that I was resilient through the tough times, and I've been able to see it pay off this year.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
Not limiting myself when I was younger. My Junior and Senior year I started to learn I was faster than I thought I was, I just had to be willing to make it hurt enough to show it. Running is really mostly mental. There were people I told myself I couldn't beat and times I told myself I couldn't run yet, and I wish I hadn't limited myself in that way when I was in my Freshman and Sophomore years. But it was also important for me to learn not to put limits on myself and not be afraid to hurt in races.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
Being injured my Sophomore year was very hard because it's easy to lose confidence when you're hurt. Not making it to State my junior year for XC or Track was also hard. I barely missed it at Cross, and at Track I felt like I was in good enough shape to do it, but it just wasn't my day at region. But both of these experiences just helped me to work harder and to make the most out of my training.
What will you miss the most?
I'll miss friends and relationships I made through running and just hanging with the team and those I'm running against. I'll also miss the feeling of accomplishment I get after a really good race. It's awesome to see your hard work pay off and to have to have the opportunities to make it happen.
What advice would you give to younger athletes?
Dream big. It's better to set huge goals and come up a little short than to settle for average and easy goals that you know you can reach. For me, I had huge goals that I almost never attained, but it helped stretch myself and I ran a lot faster with these big goals than I would have if I had limited myself by setting easy goals and being satisfied with that.
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
Coach Strauss has been a big help for me because he believed in me and helped me to have more confidence in myself as a runner and in my training. I can always talk with him about my races and he helps me to learn from them to be better prepared for the next one. He also runs with the guys sometimes which makes it fun.
What are your college plans?
I am excited that I will be running at Utah State after my LDS mission. Utah State has been a rising program and I feel confident that I will be able to be successful there. I also have some friends that have signed there, so it will be fun to run with them. I couldn't be happier to be at Utah State, I felt very good about it on the visit and gave it a lot of thought. That being said, there were some schools that overlooked me and I hope I can prove them wrong.
Who would you like to say 'thank you' to?
I owe special thanks to my teammates during my Freshman year. I really looked up to those guys and that's a big reason I kept running. They pushed me hard and motivated me. And big thanks to my coach and my teammates now. It's not possible or worth it without them. And finally to those I've run against for helping pushing me to run faster.
