Training to be a state champion runner doesn’t happen overnight and Milano High School’s Parker Jones is a case in point.
“Running didn’t really start early for me,” he said. “My introduction to running was when my Dad coached high school track around age eleven, and I would race with some of the older kids. I kept up with a couple of the girls and maybe the slowest boy.
“I ran a mile in about eight minutes, which wasn’t anything special,” he laughed. “I remember laughing when my Dad said I would run the mile in under six minutes. Despite my doubts, I ran a five-fifty in seventh grade, and just kept improving every year.”
Since then, Jones has been a state champion in the 1600-meter run (mile), and in the 4x400 as a member of the Eagles relay team and he qualified for the Texas 2A state cross country championship four times.
Earlier this month, Jones finished second in the state championships with a time of 15:29, which is in the record books as the third fastest time ever run by a boy in 2A competition.
“Parker was absolutely exhausted at the end of the race,” said Jordan Merkord, MHS head cross country coach. “ He ran the best 5k he’s ever run. He averaged a 4.58 pace over the 5K which is unbelievably fast.”
Merkord said it’s Jones work ethic that puts him in the company of the elite runners.
“He’s worked so hard these past couple of years and it’s great to see him being rewarded for all that hard work,” he said. “He’s been approached by multiple colleges, including a few more after the end of the race.
Jones said, “It’s an amazing feeling to run a race. But I’ve always enjoyed training hard to improve.”
Jones normally runs 70-80 miles per week. As the season gets closer, he brings the mileage down and does more workouts with emphasis on intensity, he said. Another huge part of his training is going shoe shopping on a monthly basis.
“Most of my shoes last about 200-300 miles,” Jones said. “So I usually have to replace them almost every month.”
After breaking his own personal record, and finishing 89th at the Nike Cross Regionals on Nov. 17, Jones is taking a break from his training.
“Normally, I like to take a week or two to relax,» Jones said. “In that time, I’m catching up on sleep and eating all the food that I avoid during the season.”
Jones is also a top student with a 4.4 grade point average, and second in the MHS Class of 2019.
After the 2018 track and field season, Jones plans to run at the collegiate level. He has visited University of Texas at Tyler several times, Stephen F. Austin three times, and Texas Lutheran University once on an unofficial visit. He has yet to commit anywhere.
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