Palisade Junior, Hank DeFord, is the male Athlete of the Week brought to you by Palisade Dino Mart. DeFord runs cross country in the fall, runs winter track, and does track in the spring. “I’ve been running since track season my freshman year. This is only my second year doing cross country.” DeFord was encouraged by family and friends to start running. “My mom is a really big runner and inspired me to start on the track team. A lot of my friends like Sophia Dery also got me to join.” DeFord is off to an amazing start this season with so many successes. At a previous cross country meet in Battle Mountain, DeFord completed an astonishing run taking first place at the meet. “This was my first cross country win and it was a tough course with tough competition,” said DeFord. This meet is one of the hardest runs during the season. “This is my greatest accomplishment, winning the Battle Mountain meet.”
Over the past couple of years, DeFord has truly come to appreciate the aspect of running. “My favorite part about running sports like cross country and track is that, in my opinion, it is the purest form of competition,” said DeFord. “You can’t cheat your way through. It is simply who can work the hardest and push themselves to the limit, and that is super cool to me.” To run and succeed the way he does, DeFord is motivated by other runners. “One of my biggest inspirations is Cole Hockey who won Olympic gold this year in the 1500. He just has a very cool underdog mentality and I really look up to him.”
With so much growth and success in two years, DeFord is looking forward to future meets and competitions. His hard work ethic and determination to push forward is an inspiration to his teammates, peers, friends and family. Congratulations Hank on receiving Athlete of the Week!
