Interview with 3-time Stanford Invite 400m. winner, Frank Kurtz

Heritage HS senior, Frank Kurtz won the Stanford Invitational 400m. yesterday for the 3rd straight year in a state leading time of 47.58.  He finished in 3rd place at the NCS MOC last year and almost matched his finish at the state meet by finishing in 4th.
 
1) How did you get your start in Track and Field. What other sports have you played?
I've been running track since sixth grade but it wasn't until sophomore year that I became serious about it. Sophomore year was the same year that I stopped playing basketball and football to focus on track.
 
2) What was the first success that you remember in the sport? Highlights from your freshman season?
I've always been successful in track but it wasn't until freshman year that I realized that I could run at a high level. It was a great surprise when I played a role on my team's varsity relay teams. My first success individually was running sub-50 as a freshman but my first big accomplishment was winning the Stanford invite my sophomore year.
 
3) You were in contention for the state meet as a sophomore at the NCS MOC meet and stumbled in the last 100m. What did you learn from that experience?
I learned to be humble from that experience. I realized that I needed to put in more work than I had. It also taught me to not underestimate my competition.
 
4) Last year, you finished in 3rd place at NCS MOC and 4th at the CA state meet in 400m. What can you take from that state meet experience that will help you this season?
It was good experience because it taught me a lot about what I needed to do peak at the right time and to keep that peak for as long as possible. I learned a lot, training-wise, that I will use this upcoming season to help me in the later meets.
 
5) You ran 47.58 at the Stanford Invite yesterday which is the leading time in CA. What is your goal for this season in terms of time?
My first goal is to run in the 46's. From there, we'll see how low I can bring my time.
 
6) What do you feel are the workouts that really excel in the 400? What does a typical week look like for you in terms of training? How often do you lift?
 I'm more of speed 400 runner so what I've been focusing on this year have been strength and endurance training. I usually do speed work two to three times a week with the sprinters and train with the distance runners when they run shorter intervals like 400s and 600s. As far as weight training, I lift about three times a week. I don't do it enough or as intense as I would like since usually the only time I can lift us right after track work.
 
6) You will be attending Stanford University next year. How many other schools did you visit and considered before you made your decision to attend Stanford and what led to that decision?
I only visited Stanford and Cal but USC, UCLA, Harvard and Notre Dame were other schools I considered. I chose Stanford because it had the complete package of academics, a great campus, being close to home and a competitive track team with great coaching.
 
 
100 Meter Dash (Graph) 10.93
11.34 2013-04-20 Mudville Invitational »
11.49 2013-04-13 Castro Valley Invitational »
10.93 2012-03-17 Marsh Creek Invitational »
200 Meter Dash (Graph) 21.60
22.63 2013-05-08 BVAL Prelims »
22.40 2013-04-20 Mudville Invitational »
21.97 2013-04-05 Arcadia Invitational »
21.60 2013-03-16 Marsh Creek Invitational »
22.87 -3.6 2012-05-26 CIF - NCS Meet of Champion Finals »
22.67 -0.5 2012-05-25 CIF - NCS Meet of Champion Trials »
22.22 +1.0 2012-05-19 NCS Les Schwab Tri-Valley Meet »
22.02 2012-05-10 Bay Valley Athletic League Trials (NC) »
21.92 +1.8 2012-05-08 Bay Valley Athletic League »
22.36 2012-04-21 Mudville Invitational »
21.93 2012-03-17 Marsh Creek Invitational »
23.31 2011-04-16 Mudville Invitational »
Two Mile Run (Graph) 12:21.17
12:21.17 2012-09-15 De La Salle/Carondelet Nike CC Invitational »
14:01.16 2011-09-06 Monte Vista Invitational »
Three Mile Run (Graph) 18:26.00
18:26.00 2012-10-19 Mt SAC Invitational »
19:40.00 2011-10-21 Mt SAC Invitational »
400 Meter Dash (Graph) 47.03
47.58 2014-04-04 Stanford Invitational »
48.01 2014-03-15 Marsh Creek Invitational »
47.50 2013-05-31 CIF State Track and Field Championship Prelims and Finals »
47.14 2013-05-31 CIF State Track and Field Championship Prelims and Finals »
47.65 2013-05-25 NCS Meet of Champions »
47.85 2013-05-18 Tri-Valley Area (NC) »
50.15 2013-05-08 BVAL Prelims »
47.03 2013-04-27 Sacramento Meet of Champions »
47.42 2013-04-05 Arcadia Invitational »
47.32 2013-03-29 Stanford Invitational »
47.71 2013-03-16 Marsh Creek Invitational »
49.55 2013-03-02 East Bay Invitational »
49.25 2013-02-16 Cal Berkeley All Comers »
49.04 2012-05-25 CIF - NCS Meet of Champion Trials »
48.76 2012-05-19 NCS Les Schwab Tri-Valley Meet »
48.72 2012-05-10 Bay Valley Athletic League Trials (NC) »
48.33 2012-05-08 Bay Valley Athletic League »
48.22 2012-04-21 Mudville Invitational »
48.26 2012-04-06 Stanford Invitational »
49.58 2012-03-03 East Bay Invitational »
50.34 2011-05-21 NCS Les Schwab Tri-Valley Meet »
51.47 2011-04-30 Sacramento Meet of Champions »
50.19 2011-04-16 Mudville Invitational »
49.86 2011-03-30 Frosh/Soph West Coast Relays »
50.90 2011-03-25 Stanford Invitational »
50.79 2011-03-11 Dan Gabor Sprint/Distance Festival »
53.97 2011-03-05 East Bay Invitational »
5,000 Meter Run (Graph) 19:42.00
19:42.00 2013-09-28 40th Stanford Cross Country Invitational »