Georgia Star Out To Defend State Title Saturday, Will Turn Focus To NXN

By Theresa Juva Brown for DyeStat

As newly minted state cross country champion in Georgia, Graham Blanks stood confident and excited at the start of the Foot Locker South Regional Championships last fall in Charlotte, N.C.

Blanks, a junior at Athens Academy in Athens, Ga., was raring to qualify for his first cross country national championships. But in an instant, that dream — and Blanks — came crashing down. 

Just 200 meters into the race, Blanks got jostled in the big pack, fell and lost a shoe. Even though he knew he was out of contention for a national spot, Blanks kept running until his coaches pulled him off the gravel-strewn course at mile two. 

“It was really a demoralizing moment for me,” recalled the 17-year-old senior. “I was on this bench with my coach, and my foot hurts, and it’s bleeding, and I had to watch everyone finish and watch the top guys qualify for nationals.”

This year, Blanks is more determined than ever to end his high school cross country career on an exhilarating note. 

Set to defend his 1A Private School cross country title Saturday in Carrollton, Ga., Blanks put his competitors on notice earlier this season with a spectacular performance on a national stage at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, N.C. Not only did he win the race, he broke the tape in 14:45.6, the sixth-fastest time ever on the 5K course at WakeMed Soccer Park.  

“It was eye-opening and shocking to me that I had the ability,” said Blanks, who also excelled in soccer before giving it up last year to focus on running.

“My fitness was there, but I didn’t feel like my mind was prepared to run 14:45 or prepared to win such a big race. Once I crossed the finish line, instantly my mind caught up with my body.”

Attending another meet with the rest of the Athens team, head cross country coach Geoffrey Walton learned about his star senior’s thrilling race in series of exciting text messages from Blanks’ mom. 

“Graham just has this natural effortless running style, and I think his potential is just now getting tapped,” Walton said, adding that Blanks has come a long way from the freshman boy who viewed himself as primarily a soccer player. 

Blanks has been so motivated by his performance on the WakeMed course, he now plans to pursue Nike Cross Nationals, instead of Foot Locker. Because the Nike Cross Southeast Regional race is held at WakeMed, Blanks believes he has a great shot of finally qualifying for his first national cross country championship. If he makes it to Portland, Ore. for Nike Cross Nationals, he’s ready to be a top contender. 

“I’m going to try to lead the race and mix it up with the best of them,” he said. “If I die out after two miles, so be it. I can’t say what will happen, but I want to do something big there.” 

Blanks is undeniably a talented and dedicated athlete, his coach says, but what makes him truly exceptional is that he’s also unflappable under pressure. 

“Nothing fazes him,” Walton said. “He can be lining up against world champions and Olympic medalists and he’ll be on the line like, ‘OK. I got this.’ He doesn’t overanalyze. He goes with his plan, and let’s everything fall into place.” 

That cool-headed attitude will serve him well when he takes his running to the collegiate level.  Blanks recently announced he will run next year for Harvard University, where he plans to study economics. 

“The thing I want to do at Harvard is to grow and be challenged athletically and academically,” he says. “I will hopefully become a better person after four years.” 

But for now, he remains focused on making the most of his senior year of cross country — and not taking anything for granted. 

When he aims for another state cross country title on Saturday, “it’s not going to be cakewalk for him,” Walton said.

At least two runners — Zack Truitt, a junior at Landmark Christian, and Devin Wade, a senior at Whitefield Academy — are expected to be nipping at the reigning champ’s heels.