On Tap with ... Tommy Scott

A couple of days after the Invitational, Scott sat down with the ‘Prince’ to explain his belief that lactic acid is purely mental, his claimed ability to outrun a horse and the scarring experience with a crocodile that motivates him to clear the last hurdle.

Q: You’ve got some fast times. How does Tommy Scott run a fast race?

A: It all starts with the start. You’ve got to get out of the blocks hard. Basically, get up to speed and don’t slow down would be my strategy.

Q: How do you not slow down when there are so many elements working to keep you back?

A: It’s all mental really. You see other people getting tired and they think they’re going to slow down and die, but you fight through it mentally. I think lactic acid is all mental. You think you’re not going to slow down and not get tired, and you won’t.

Q: During the race where you ran the 55.4 in the 400 hurdles outdoors, what was the moment when you were about to break, and how were you able to overcome this mental lactic acid?

A: There are 10 hurdles and on the seventh one, I didn’t quite get my steps right and I stuttered. I finally made it over the hurdle and in the corner of my eye, I saw this guy from Dartmouth trying to pass me and I said, “No.” And the rest of the race, I didn’t die.

Q: Do you ever taunt opposing runners, like the Dartmouth runner?

A: They can see me, and I may flip some hand gestures as I’m running.

Q: When is the last time you ran?

A: I ran in practice today. I think my natural state is running, and when I’m sitting, it’s kind of weird. I’m not using my legs for what they’re meant to be used for.

Q: What animal would you say you run like?

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A: I would say like a human. We’re actually genetically designed to be able to run and not get tired. Literally, if you have to chase after a horse for hours, you can kill it. It is faster than you, but you chase after it, and it dies.

Q: Have you ever tried that?

A: I haven’t, but I want to.

Q: A lot of people have inhibitions about running. What would you say to convince someone to run?

A: I would say when you ask a girl, “What’s the hottest sport you can think of?,” number one is going to be running. Let him into the track parties, and he’ll see how much girls love us.

Q: What is your relationship like with the women’s track and field team?

A: It’s cordial. We generally consider them inferior to us males, but it’s cute that they try and run the same events we do.

Q: Do you guys ever coordinate events with them?

A: We have sent out the olive branch a few times — they usually shut us down. They don’t want to deal with us. Last year, they had a semiformal event where they asked the men’s basketball team instead of us.

Q: What field event do you think you would do if you were not a runner?

A: I would do pole vault. Literally, all they do at practice is ride around on unicycles and jump on trampolines.

Q: Walk me through the first time you ever ran.

A: It’d probably be when I was about three. I lived in Mississippi and I walked on down to the swamp, and a crocodile came up after me. And I ran away. I’m alive here.

Q: Do you think that scarring experience has affected your pursuits?

A: I think about [it] every day when I run. I just think that crocodile is chasing me.

Q: The hurdle seems like a very delicate event. Do you ever worry about hitting over the hurdle while you leap?

A: It is a fear. But that fear gives me adrenaline which makes me run faster.

Q: Does the team have any special rituals?

A: We listen to angry German rock [music] before our meets. It really gets us pumped.

Q: Who would you say is your quirkiest teammate on track?

A: Probably [freshman sprinter] Tommaso Greenbaum. He’s Italian, so there are a lot of cultural differences: for example, his ineptitude with American women.

Q: What’s your nightmare scenario for a race?

A: Probably anything involving being beaten by a Cornell runner. They have the only other good team in the Ivy League.

Q: Have you ever been beaten by a Cornell runner?

A: I have not. That crocodile really motivates me.