Quick Chat: Cooper Bocko

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

Cooper Bocko has his perfect post-race meal. The Georgia cross country and track sophomore wants a burger and fries after pushing himself to the limit for 8,000 or so meters. It's not the healthiest option, but it is the most delicious. And when you're running 70-plus miles a week, it's just more fuel for the furnace.

Bocko and the Bulldog men's and women's cross country teams are in Oxford, Miss., for Friday's SEC Cross Country Championships, held at the Ole Miss Golf Course. During a recent Quick Chat, Bocko talked about his start in the sport, that perfect meal, what he and his teammates talk about on their long training runs, and much more.

Here's some of what he had to say:

Frierson: I notice the you're wearing Chuck Taylors, which seem to be making a bit comeback among college students these days. Have you ever imagined what it would be like to race and train in the shoes they wore 75 or 100 years ago?

Bocko: I've seen pictures of them and actually held one, and they're pretty bad. I wouldn't want to run in them. They don't look terrible — I'm sure I could tough it out.

Frierson: How did you get started in track? Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were young?

Bocko: I primarily played soccer, but I wasn't really that into it. We had a club soccer team, and we'd practice more than twice a week, and I was like, I don't want to do that. My sister did track in middle school and high school, and I figured I would do that because she was doing it.

Frierson: Did you like the running part of soccer?

Bocko: My strong suit in soccer was probably getting to the other side of the field, but besides that, I wasn't very good.

Frierson: When you first went out for track, how did you go about figuring out which distances were best for you?

Bocko: I just kind of joined a club for cross country, so I found myself already doing the longer distances. But when I was doing middle school track, they made me run the 400. I wasn't very good; I was like, I'd rather do the mile. I figured out that the short stuff was probably not for me.

Frierson: Is there a perfect distance for you?

Bocko: I think it's hard to nail down, but I like the 5k (5,000 meters). It's long enough that I'm good at it, but also short enough that you're still going fast and it's not like, man, I've got 25 laps — that's kind of boring.

Frierson: What is the biggest difference between doing cross country and running something like the 5k in track? Is there a mental adjustment that you have to make?

Bocko: I just think if you go out there with the idea that you're not really running for a time, you're going out there for effort, then it won't really matter what kind of course you're on. If you're with the right people, you'll be able to run well.

Obviously, I prefer flat courses; I don't think anyone prefers hills unless they're a psycho. As long as they're rolling hills, they're fine — I don't like steep ones.

Frierson: When I see you and your teammates out running in a pack on the sidewalk, going crazy fast compared to us mortals, you're often chatting away like you're sitting at the coffee shop. What are you all talking about?

Bocko: The things we talk about are not very intelligent. I'd say it's more just jokes and if someone's going too fast, we'll yell at them. I don't like that, but some people have preferences.

Frierson: How valuable is that pack? In my experience, running with other people usually makes all the miles a lot more bearable, especially on the days when you don't really feel like being there.

Bocko: Yeah, for some of my morning runs, I'm alone, and it can be kind of difficult, especially when I'm not really feeling good that day. Whenever you run with people, it's like, man, I can't wait to go run. I really like the social aspect of the sport, and it definitely makes it a lot easier to go run with your friends.

Frierson: What is your perfect post-race or post-run meal?

Bocko: It's definitely a burger and fries — you can't go wrong with that. Anything that's junk food, really, because you spend the whole time trying to stay away from that stuff, but once the work's done you can relax and eat some good food.

Frierson: Because you burn so many calories a day, how do you make sure you look after yourself when it comes to food? It seems like it would be easy to just stuff your face with anything because you're going to burn right through it.

Bocko: There's definitely some merit to the idea that you could have a pretty bad diet and be fine and nothing would happen to you, but I think as long as you're getting a healthy amount of everything, you're good. As long as you're fueling yourself properly, you can't really go wrong with it.

Frierson: When you're training on the track while other track and field events are also practicing, is there one event that stands out to you? Is there one that makes you go, those folks are nuts?

Bocko: I guess when you're in the sport, nothing really looks that crazy. I guess on the track, I would say steeplechase. The amount of injuries and the toughness you have to have to get over the barriers during the race, it's kind of insane. Also, doing 10k on the track (25 laps) is pretty bad.

Outside of track and field, I would say swimming is the hardest sport. It's essentially running but a full-body exercise, and you have to swim for much longer.

(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.

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