Jackson Spencer, a high school senior from Utah, capped off one of history's most remarkable cross country seasons with national titles at both Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) and Brooks Nationals. His rise wasn’t sudden. After showing early promise, he moved to Utah for high school and joined one of the nation's most competitive programs as a junior. There, he gained valuable experience training alongside top-tier athletes. By the time this fall rolled around, Jackson had stepped into the lead role, taking on the challenge of racing up front and delivering in every major meet.

Training Insights

Jackson came into the season with fairly strong fitness. His summer training was consistent, and he started the fall with a Base Fitness of around 100. Over the next several months, he grew that number by nearly 50%, peaking at a Base Fitness of 146 before the national races. He had several strong blocks, with carefully-planned recovery phases in between. The most intense blocks were the week leading up to Clovis (his highest mileage week) and the build towards nationals.

Jackson's season-long data

With a win at the Woodbridge Invite, was clear this season was going to be strong from the start. However, the first historical moment for Jackson came at the Clovis Invite: he not only won but broke the course record previously held by German Fernandez. "My coach told me I'd have to run under 4:25 for the last mile," Jackson recalled. "It seemed impossible. But somehow it happened."

One of the more unique aspects of Jackson's training is how his biggest training efforts are right before the biggest races, followed by a lower-intensity block afterwards. "I think it helps build the momentum a lot," he says. "But yeah, the week after Clovis I had to chill a bit cause I needed to recover."

One of Jackson’s sharpest sessions came in the form of a grass interval workout, tracked using the COROS PACE Pro and Heart Rate Monitor. The structure was straightforward: three sets of 800 meters followed by a two-minute jog, then a 400-meter rep, with a four-minute jog between sets.

He averaged 2:10 on the 800s and 60 seconds on the 400s (on grass!). His heart rate averaged 166, right in line with expected intensity for this kind of anaerobic session. The slower-paced jogs (around 10:00/mi) added a touch of aerobic benefit. According to COROS EvoLab, the workout hit the sweet spot for both systems. And despite an efficiency score of just 97% (indicating his body wasn’t operating at peak sharpness) he still nailed the splits. Even on a slightly off day, Jackson’s ceiling is high.

Championship Season

At NXN, Jackson ran with one goal: win. He held back early, and stayed with the lead pack through the middle. The start of the second loop was the turning point. Last year, he lost contact, but this year he found the strength to push on at the front. "That was the hardest part for me, I think, because I was starting to kind of almost fall off the front pack. I was like kind of worried that I wasn't going to be able to stick on... but I told myself that I wanted to be in contention to win it, so I had to just suck it up and run back into there."

With the mid-race challenge behind him, he made two moves late: one with a kilometer left to whittle the competition down to three, and another at the famous terraces to break away at the end.

Another key factor in his race strategy was that his team was also in contention to win. "I didn't want to go out too hard and risk dying because then that would be detrimental to the team. It's awesome to be able to compete with a team and to have them in the back of my mind as my reason why." Jackson's teammates followed his lead, fighting hard and finishing 2nd in the nation.

The Brooks Nationals race offered a different challenge. His plan was to lead from the gun, but a poor start  forced a change. "That course is so narrow. It’s easy to get boxed in, and that’s what happened to me. I got stuck for the first mile and couldn’t move up. I had to wait it out until people started fading, then took the chance to snake through the field." He eventually reeled in the leader on a key hill section, but it didn’t come easy. "I passed Marcelo at the top, but he didn’t fold. He fought to stay in it, which I respect a lot. That made it a real battle, and I’m glad it turned into an exciting race, even though the strategy didn’t go how I’d planned."

A Winning Mentality

One of the biggest advantages Jackson carries has nothing to do with fitness. With so many big races on the schedule, it can be easy to get caught up in the cool gear and socialize with his compeition. Jackson enjoys that, but on race-day, he is elite at blocking it all out and locking in before the gun foes off. Looking back on Brooks, he says "It’s just kind of about making friends and just having a good time on the first day. Then race day comes. I was just making sure that I was not putting any extra effort or energy into anything but my race."

Being a favorite didn't phase him much, either. "The outside pressure, I don’t really focus on that. It’s more about trying to keep my pre-race mentality consistent. Continue what I’ve been doing throughout all my season races, because that’s what’s been working for me."

His mental skillset showed up in how he approached both NXN and Brooks Nationals. Jackson didn’t simply show up and race. He studied each course ahead of time, identified where races were likely to break open, and planned his moves accordingly. At NXN, he adjusted his strategy to account for the team. At Brooks, he stayed calm when Plan A fell apart. His ability to study a course, adapt his strategy, and execute under pressure shows a level of preparation that separates him from the rest.

What’s Next: A World Stage Awaits

As the winner of NXN, Jackson will represent Team USA at the World Junior Cross Country Championships in Florida on January 10th. That goal had been on his radar since the start of the season. "Honestly, I didn’t even know Worlds existed for cross country until they announced it. Once I knew, it became one more reason to go win NXN."

After Worlds, he plans to rest before racing a handful of indoor track meets. His goal is to stay fresh and transition into outdoor season with momentum. Cross country may be his favorite, but the next challenge is already in sight.