Let’s hit the rewind button to almost one year ago – back in late August 2021. Dexter’s Brandon Anderson ran a time of 17 minutes, 38.8 seconds at the Lamplighter Invite in Livonia in the first race of his then sophomore season. He then went on to drop significant time during the year and qualified for the Division 1 State Finals.
Fast forward to last week’s 2022 Lamplighter Invite when the now junior finished 14th overall with a time of 16:35.1 seconds. For those good in math, that’s more than a minute better than an already solid time he achieved the previous year.
So, is Anderson on pace for big things his junior year?
“My long-term goal for cross country is to reach or beat the Dexter High School men’s record time of 15:04,” Anderson says. “Or, I at least want to get on the wall in the gym by running a 15:40 or better. My personal goal this year is to return to states and run a 15:40 or better.”
Cross country also is a team sport and the junior is excited about this year’s Dexter team. His 14th place was the best finish among Dexter runners at the Lamplighter but the whole team had a strong opening race.
“I was pretty close with some of last year’s seniors, so our team has changed a bit,” he said. “But we are still a close group. Three of us are returning from last year’s team so we have a solid routine and know how to help pace each other. The entire cross country team, women’s and men’s, is close. We have pre-meet dinners together, Saturday breakfast runs together and sometimes get together just to have fun without actually running.”
Anderson ran a PR time of 16:34.5 to finish eighth at last year’s Regionals to earn a spot at the State Finals. He then crushed his PR time at MIS with a time of 16:12.7 which placed him 41st among the best in the state. Anderson also finished fourth (16:35.6) at the SEC Championships on Oct. 21 and ninth (16:30.5) at the Holly/Duane Raffin Festival of Races on Sept. 18.
He said he was “encouraged” to start running at a young age.
“Well, at first my parents pretty much forced me to run cross country,” he says. “I was pretty quick when I was little, so I guess they thought I might be an okay runner.
“I have played a lot of different sports over the years – basketball, baseball, lacrosse and soccer. What I liked about cross country is the fact that I really have just a few things to remember – breathe, stride and just run.”
Anderson, who also runs track for the Dreadnaughts, says cross country is a year-long sport. “We never stop training,” he said. “I run with the team during the winter in the snow and in the summer too.”
His routine before, during and after a race is usually the same – runners are often superstitious and creatures of habit. Before a race, he looks up the rankings on Athletic.net to see who the three to four runners are just ahead of his most recent finishing time. He then positions himself to pace with these runners throughout the race.
“When I am standing at the starting line, I am usually thinking, ‘This is going to be death,’” he says. “While I’m running, I usually think about my pace and time, and tell myself I only have so much left to run. Depending on the course, I can sometimes see my time at the first mile. This lets me know how well I am doing and if I need to speed up.”
Brandon, 16, is the son of Joel and Angela Anderson. He runs to a 3.398 GPA and also enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding and trampoline. He also has his future already at the starting line.
“Over the next two years, I will be working to earn my welding license,” he said. “After high school I plan to work as a welder while going to school for business so I can start my own welding company.”
