Windy City native and NYU sophomore Julian Aske was the only NYU runner to break the 1:50 barrier in the 800m last season, at 1:48.98. The Second Team All-American identifies as a middle-distance and cross-country runner, for better and for worse.
In the fall, Aske tackles cross country courses, gritting through hills and grass alongside his teammates. In the winter and spring, he shifts gears, showcasing his impressive speed with elite performances across the 400m, 800m and 1500m distances.
Last year, as the only first-year on the team to qualify for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Myrtle Beach, Aske cemented his place among the best middle distance runners in D-III. He ran a time of 1:52:91 and looks to continue building on that success both individually and with the team.
Aske and the Violets race next in the Lehigh University Paul Short Invite on Oct. 5 in Bethlehem, PA.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
WSN: How did you start running and what brought you to NYU?
Aske: I started my freshman year of high school. Before that, I played soccer and everyone told me to try track in the spring, and the rest is history. I was pretty good right off the bat — I ran 57 seconds in the 400m my freshman year — but, due to the pandemic, it was just my coach and I doing time trials on the track.
After my sophomore track season — my first real season — I dislocated my kneecap and was out for six or seven months. After that, I stopped playing soccer because of the risk from all the lateral movement.
I always wanted to go to NYU, even before I considered running there. For me, the school passed the broken-leg test, meaning I’d want to go there even if I couldn’t run. But what stood out to me was the middle-distance coach, John Trautmann, who also trains the professional team Empire Elite. NYU was rebuilding its program, and I wanted to be part of that change.
I didn’t want to go Division I because I felt like it would consume my whole life. Realistically, for 99.99 percent of runners, there isn’t much of a professional future after college.
WSN: Runners will usually separate themselves along the lines of middle distance and cross country. Which do you consider yourself to be?
Aske: I don’t consider myself a cross country runner. I’m a middle-distance guy, but I guess I have to consider myself a cross country runner now.
Last year, after I ran 26:40.3 in the 8K at the Metropolitan Cross Country Championships, coach Tyler Deck Shipley said, “You might be helping out in cross next year.” At first I was like, “Oh God, no.” But after a great track season in the spring, I joked with him, “So I guess I am helping out?”
WSN: What is it like getting to be coached by an Olympian like John Trautmann, also known as Tmann?
Aske: We joke that Tmann coaches NYU so he can funnel some of us to Empire Elite now and then.
Training with Empire Elite, or even just seeing those pros, makes you feel cooler — like, ‘Damn, I’m out here doing the same workout, maybe just a bit slower, than Eric Holt.’ It definitely boosts my confidence and makes it easy to just get to work.
WSN: What are you looking forward to this season?
Aske: I ran the first race as a workout. Tmann told me to go out at a 5:50/mile pace and then just jog and pick people off. I went out at five minutes flat, and I was at the back of the pack, so I started picking people off. That got me excited for the season. It showed me how fit I really am.
WSN: What was it like to compete at outdoor nationals last spring?
Aske: Last spring, I had this lingering mucus issue because of some mold in my shower that just wouldn’t go away. But when I got to Myrtle Beach for the national meet, like magic, the mucus disappeared. So I thought, “This is going to be great.”
The rounds were tough, though, because I had gotten into the habit of racing the 800m for a personal record, not necessarily to win. I was used to going out faster on the first lap than the second, but in prelims, the races often go out slow and turn into a kick at the end. Last year, I was just happy to be there. This year, I’m more prepared and confident, and I’m on a mission — I’m here to compete.
Contact Ethan Rendon at [email protected].
