On the run: Ryan Kinnane leads Auburn cross country

On the run: Ryan Kinnane leads Auburn cross countryOn the run: Ryan Kinnane leads Auburn cross country
AU Athletics

Ryan Kinnane

AUBURN, Ala. – In the first cross country race of his senior season, Auburn's Ryan Kinnane executed his plan.

"I just wanted to run with the lead pack and see what happened," he said.  

When the pace slowed during the race's second half, Kinnane made his move.

"I pushed and a couple guys went with me," he said.

With 2 kilometers remaining, Kinnane again picked up the pace.

"There was a hill between 6 and 7K. I was trying to push up the hill but not burn myself out," Kinnane said. "When I got to the top of the hill, I just let it rip. It was really the last K that I pulled away."

Crossing the finish line nearly eight seconds before his nearest competitor, Kinnane earned his first collegiate victory Sept. 15 in the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama, clocking an 8K personal best of 23:19.90.

Recognized for his achievement at the Conference and national levels, Ryan was named SEC Runner of the Week and U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association Runner of the Week.

"A huge honor, honestly," said Kinnane, an aspiring pilot who is pursuing his MBA from the Harbert College of Business after earning his aviation management degree from Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts. "I was very surprised."
 In his 2023 cross country debut, Auburn's Ryan Kinnane earned his first collegiate win 
Kinnane and his Tiger teammates hope to capitalize on that early-season success Friday in Boston when they race in the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown.

"There are a lot of good Northeast teams and three ranked teams that are going to be there," he said. "We're hoping to beat a couple teams that will be competing at nationals and rack up some points for regionals."

After averaging 90 miles per week this summer while training at home in Kansas and bumping it up to 95 on the Plains during a blistering August, Ryan will race with temperatures predicted to be in the 60s on Friday in Boston.

"I'm a big fan of that," he said. "I'm excited for that."

In his fourth fall at Auburn, Kinnane serves as the cross country team's veteran, leading from the front and hoping to influence younger teammates.

"It went by really fast," he said. "As a team, we're in the best shape we've been in since I've been here. All of these young guys are going to get better and better after I'm gone. I wouldn't be surprised if we make it to nationals in the next several years because we've got a lot of talent and more coming in.

"I expect big things from them. We've got a lot of excitement in the program right now. If I look back five years from now and we're competing in nationals, it will be cool to look back and think those guys were on the team I was a part of when they were younger."

Before he looks back, Ryan Kinnane looks ahead. To Boston this weekend, Tuscaloosa in two weeks and the SEC Championships at South Carolina Oct. 27.

For fans tuning in next month to watch the Conference meet on SEC Network, Kinnane shouldn't be hard to find. Just look for the guy wearing orange and blue running in the lead pack, letting it rip.
 



Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer