His socks may be dirty, but he doesn't stink
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: GRAHAM BELTON, TRACK & FIELD
The socks, apparently, not only affect G.B. physically, but mentally as well. "During meets I think as little as possible. I pretty much think of nothing." Not because he's un-intelligent though. "If I think, I think about the pain, or the ridiculousness of it all. I mean, it's just running in circles, you know?"
"I've thought about quitting so many times, but…," he trails off. Perhaps the socks took hold when he continued, "It's about the drive to do something incredibly painful and be good at it." This loyalty to the socks and the sport has kept Belton on the right track all season. Recently he started running with freshman distance runner David Huberdeau every morning. "I don't like running by myself. It just gets to you. You're like 'why am I doing this?'" The two run in Druid Hill Park, where Belton claimed "the sunrise is really beautiful."
And though the stardom and sunrises may be beautiful, they will never be as dear to G.B. as his socks. In fact, the pair is so precious to him that he hadn't even revealed their presence until this interview. "I haven't told anyone about the socks actually. If you knew someone who had been wearing the same socks since freshman year then you might think they're a little weird."
"Are you worried that people are going to know about them, then?" I asked. And when I said "worried", I meant "worried about people thinking you're a little weird." His response?
"No, I'm not worried about the socks. They're safe, tucked away in my room."
And that's the kind of care, the kind of strict mentality that has kept Belton running for the past five years. And like his socks, G.B. says he'll be at every meet in the future, ready to run. "I'll definitely be here for the next three years. So I might as well run."
"I've thought about quitting so many times, but…," he trails off. Perhaps the socks took hold when he continued, "It's about the drive to do something incredibly painful and be good at it." This loyalty to the socks and the sport has kept Belton on the right track all season. Recently he started running with freshman distance runner David Huberdeau every morning. "I don't like running by myself. It just gets to you. You're like 'why am I doing this?'" The two run in Druid Hill Park, where Belton claimed "the sunrise is really beautiful."
And though the stardom and sunrises may be beautiful, they will never be as dear to G.B. as his socks. In fact, the pair is so precious to him that he hadn't even revealed their presence until this interview. "I haven't told anyone about the socks actually. If you knew someone who had been wearing the same socks since freshman year then you might think they're a little weird."
"Are you worried that people are going to know about them, then?" I asked. And when I said "worried", I meant "worried about people thinking you're a little weird." His response?
"No, I'm not worried about the socks. They're safe, tucked away in my room."
And that's the kind of care, the kind of strict mentality that has kept Belton running for the past five years. And like his socks, G.B. says he'll be at every meet in the future, ready to run. "I'll definitely be here for the next three years. So I might as well run."
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