Chris Cherry, a student at UIS, happens to be scaling the elusive four-minute time in the mile. Cherry and the UIS track and field team competed at Grand Valley State on the last weekend of January, recording impressive times across the board. The Taylorville native posted the most impressive mark, placing second in the race and finishing with an exhilarating 4:07.

This is a time that is bound to improve, considering the conditions of the race. What makes this time all the more impressive is that it was run indoors on a track 100 meters shorter than a typical outdoor track. This may seem irrelevant, but tight indoor turns mean lost time for runners and are much more taxing on the body. On top of the poor air quality, this factor makes times recorded indoors quite an accomplishment.

With room for improvement, Cherry’s stock is through the roof as the team revs up its indoor season and looks toward the outdoor season. Luckily, I was able to catch up with Mr. Cherry and ask him a few questions that matter outside of the running world:

The Observer: What do you enjoy most about your running experience in college?

Chris Cherry: The running experience that I have gained in college is because of the more competitive fields and higher standard of training I have been held to. So I enjoy that these two factors make me a better runner.

The Observer: Can you get any track spikes for the outdoor season, current spikes, or is there an old pair you would want back?

Chris Cherry: I really like the Nike Dragonflies for my choice of racing spikes. They definitely are the best spikes out at the moment.

The Observer: You and one other person have to bowl a perfect 300 together, but every drink you have during the game adds three pins to your score. Whom are you picking, and how fast could you do it?

Chris Cherry: This is an obvious choice for my partner. I would take Cayden Courage Kirkham. We would definitely knock out 300 in about seven minutes.

The Observer: Like it, love it, hate it: Toby Keith, Jason Aldean, and Luke Bryan.

Chris Cherry: Like it: Jason Aldean. Love it: Toby Keith. Hate it: Luke Bryan.

The Observer: What else can you do in four minutes and seven seconds that is more impressive than running a mile in that time?

Chris Cherry: I can eat an entire Jack’s pizza in about the same amount of time.

The Observer: Energy drinks: Opinion? Brand/flavor preference?

Chris Cherry: If I have an energy drink, I usually go with the Ghost brand ones. They have the more natural caffeine and L carnitine in them. The orange Dreamsicle is the best flavor for sure.

The Observer: You have to make a Queen’s Guard laugh – what joke are you telling?

Chris Cherry: What is brown and sticky? A stick.

The Observer: Who would win in a fight, 10 hippos the size of a house cat or one house cat the size of a hippo?

Chris Cherry: House cats are basically apex predators so the house cat the size of a hippo takes the win here.

The Observer: If you run an 800M backward, would you finish before Tyler Pence running a mile normally?

Chris Cherry: I am taking any race against Tyler Pence that is under 3k.

The Observer: Quote to live by?

Chris Cherry: “It is not a matter of if you are gonna die, but a matter of if people will have good stories to tell about you when you are gone.”