Harvard Track and Field Recruiting

FTR ALUM CHARLKIE ORTMAN

The following exerpt is from a interview by Runner Set.

Tam Gavenas - "I'm doing what I love to do." | Harvard Commit, Footlocker XC National Champion, Aspiring Documentarian By Runner Set • 13 Jan 2025 View in browser

Last month, Tam Gavenas won the 2024 Footlocker XC Boys National title. After placing third the previous year, he entered the season as the top returner but faced significant challenges along the way. Despite being sidelined by injuries for most of the regular season, he went on to claim the championship. He is a member of his school's chess club, on the board of the Poetry Club, and is on the Teen Advisory Board at the local library. When he was younger, Tam had personal bests of 18:00 at age 8 and 17:29 in the 5k at age 9, despite his mom limiting him to running no more than 7 miles per week. Tam is a 3x Footlocker XC Nationals qualifier, 3rd at the 2024 New Balance Outdoor Nationals 2 Mile, 2024 NEPSTA Division 1 XC state champion, 2022 New Balance Outdoor Nationals freshman 2-mile champion. He has personal bests of 4:09.15 (Mile), 8:14.94 (3000), and 8:54.75 (2-Mile). He will be joining Ben Bouie, Brady Mullen, and Andrew Thornton-Sherman in Harvard's distance class of 2025.

What made you choose Harvard over other schools you considered? It was an amazing community and a perfect fit—they really saw me as a whole person. And, hey, it's Harvard!

How many schools did you visit?

I took five official visits, even though the NCAA now allows more. All of the schools had legendary coaches and all of them had amazing athletes on their teams. I told myself I was not going to take a visit unless I thought of that school as a real possibility.

Can you share what the recruiting process was like for you and what stood out about Harvard’s program?

It was really intense. For several months over last winter, I was spending 10 to 15 hours a week on calls with coaches. When a coach is trying to see if you're a good fit, they like to check in, see how your season is going, see that you are keeping up your grades, and get a sense of you as an athlete and a student.

Harvard is about a 40-minute drive from home - was staying close to home something that was important to you?

Not necessarily, I was actually raised in Hell's Kitchen (in New York) and moved to Andover to attend Phillips Academy, so Boston-Cambridge is still relatively new territory. It's a bonus if I can check in with my family and get some home cooking during breaks.

What does winning the 2024 Footlocker XC Nationals mean to you, and how does it feel to achieve such a prestigious title?

I've been working for a moment like this for so long. This was my third time there and I have great respect for Kole (Mathison, 2022 winner) and Drew (Griffith, 2023 winner)—they are amazing athletes and amazing people.

First, I have to explain how much fun it is just to be at Foot Locker Nationals—the experience is better than anything you can imagine. Much as I love Massachusetts, San Diego is beautiful. The second you step off the plane, you are around other runners who are thrilled to be there too. You're next to the beach. Everyone is in a great mood. You are bombarded with gear, activities, and meeting new people. Everybody is pushing each other—in the best way possible. I really respect the guys I ran against.

I was confident going into the race but then, when it was over, that was the part I had not prepared for. When I crossed the finish line, it was like an out of body experience. A couple of weeks after the race, I saw a video where Juan Gonzalez came up to me and poured water on me to cool me down. I didn't turn around to thank him because I didn't anyone was there.

For me, it was great to get the recognition. I've kept a pretty low profile otherwise. No complaints. I'm doing what I love to do.

What was it like to see yourself featured on a billboard in Times Square after winning Footlocker?

Unreal.

How did that moment feel, and what did it mean to you personally?

This was the first year that Foot Locker put the winners on a billboard in Times Square so I didn't realize it was going to happen until a few days before.The night that I went to see it was probably the coldest night of the year—but I don't think I even noticed the temperature. I was with the photographer, Aisha McAdams, who took the picture, Katie Burgess, who prepped the shoot (and brought hand warmers for everybody), and Zack McTee, the videographer. We had a great time. It still hasn't sunk in.

How did you get into running?

It's in my blood. I was born in the highlands of Ethiopia.

What inspired you to pursue running at such a high level, and who have been your biggest influences along the way?

The New York Marathon route crossed my route to the playground in Central Park. I remember, when I was really little, seeing all the marathoners and then seeing Haile Gebrelassie, who was from Ethiopia, on TV. (His name didn't mean anything to me at the time, but my mom told me he was from Ethiopia like me.) He dropped out of the race that year but another Ethiopian won. So my three-year-old self-thought "That looks like fun, that could be me!"

Headed into Footlocker Northeast Regionals, you had only raced three times - two races in September and a state championship in October - was that by design?

I actually raced four times—I set the course record on my school's home course—but, no, it was not by design. I normally walk to school and I couldn't even do that for six weeks. My goal was just to qualify for finals and then bet everything on that.

Can you share some insights into your training leading up to Footlocker Nationals?

My training was not typical because, at the beginning of October, I was injured. First, I had plantar fasciitis then, on the same foot, I had a bone bruise in the heel, then I dropped something on the instep of that foot. There was at least a week when I couldn't do any running at all. Finally, I had a genius physical therapist who gave me PT exercises, got me an MRI to make the heel was not fractured, and taped my foot. I ended up doing a LOT of crosstraining—not my favorite thing—and was not certain I would even be able to run at Regionals.

What are some of your hobbies or interests outside of running?

I love being outside. During the summers, I've done hiking on the Appalachian Trail and tried white-water canoeing.

What extracurriculars do you participate in at school?

I never miss Chess Club: we meet on Friday nights so it's a great way to detox after a week of practice and classes and just relax. I'm also on the board of the Poetry Club, which meets every Thursday—also very distressing. And, inspired by all those cross country miles, I started a club to do fun, small-scale environmental projects like planting milkweed for monarch butterflies, but I haven't been able to spend any time it lately. I'm also on the Teen Advisory Board at the local library—our town library is amazing.

Could you tell me more about your internship last summer at the New York Historical Society?

It was a great opportunity. Getting in was very competitive, but I was really glad they selected me. I had done an internship with my school archives the year before and this took it to the next level. We were taken to the major archives and museums in New York and then dug into a research project of our own.

Your mom mentioned to me that you’re big on poetry, art history, and documentary film - are there any poems, works of art, or documentaries that have particularly inspired you or resonate with your journey?

I would love to be a documentarian when I grow up. I'm hoping my archives and research experience will play into that. I've always loved film and I was lucky enough to land an apprenticeship at the Maysles Center in Harlem a couple of years ago. I can't name a favorite documentary—obviously, I love the Maysles brothers' work—because every time I see a great documentary that becomes my favorite.

It’s been mentioned that you don’t have a phone, which is pretty unique this day and age. How has that shaped your daily life, your relationships, or even your focus as an athlete and student?

It gives me more time in my day. And I like talking to people one-on-one.

What are your athletic and academic goals as you look forward to competing and studying at Harvard?

I want to see what I can do. I'm seventeen and I don't know where I can go from here.

What are your goals, both in the classroom and on the track in your last semester in high school?

My school can be kind of tough sometimes, so my immediate goal is to keep up my grades. For indoor track, my goal is to improve on my times. Outdoor track will be trickier because my school league is not allowed to participate in big invitationals like Penn Relays, Arcadia, and Glenn Loucks.

Looking back, what moments or races stand out as pivotal in your running career?

Last year's Foot Locker, when I came in third, showed people what I could do.

What advice would you give to younger athletes aspiring to reach the national level or compete in college?

Running is an accessible sport. It does require commitment, but you can succeed even if you don't have the chance to train at altitude or travel to every big meet.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave both as a runner and as a student at Harvard?

I imagine the day, decades from now, when a Harvard classmate is listening to someone explain why society should have realistic—code for “low”— expectations of people with my background. The classmate will remember me, interrupt, and say, “Hey, I used to know this kid in college . . .”