What defines a role model? Is it the countless accomplishments and achievements one possesses, or could it be one's willingness to address societal problems facing the world? In talking to Soren Knudsen I found both qualities quite evident in all aspects of his life.
In May of last year Soren ran 4:17 in the 1600 State final to place third in a sprint finish to the line. A week later he set a 2 second PR of 4:08 in the 1600, and 4:10 the full mile at the elite Nike Festival of Miles. Flash forward to the 2016 cross country season, Knudsen spent the entirety of the season in the top tier of the Dyestat national rankings. At his state meet he ran an impressive 14:02 for 3 miles to clinch gold in the 3A race-following in the footsteps of his Father who won 35 years before him. Thus making him a part of Illinois' first Father-Son duo to win a state final. Now approaching the track season, he is choosing to forgo the indoor season (slightly due to injury) but mostly to focus on the more popular outdoor mile. This year Soren was labeled as "one to watch" for being one of the very few athletes capable of breaking the four minute barrier, and writing himself into the history books yet again.
Recently Soren posted a video on YouTube addressing the problem of teens being addicted to their cell phones and how we should "turn off" the distractions that face us every day. The video-which received nearly 600 views-reflects the character of this champion. How running and film making have become part of his life and created a desire for him to give back. In the future Soren plans to pursue a career in film making; a major interest he wants to continue for as long as he can. These qualities are only some of the many that he showed me; the rest resulted in a 23 minute video (below) with a humble champion with big things in store for his future:
List of the questions and where they are in the video here
Soren's YouTube Channels:
For Soren's short films about running, and his life.
Videos of Soren's past races in track, cross country, and swimming.
