FAYETTEVILLE -- Camren Fischer accomplished one of his goals when he won a Chile Pepper Festival cross country championship for the second consecutive year.
But the Fayetteville senior has goals that reach beyond the course at Agri Park, where the Chile Pepper Festival was held last week for the 30th consecutive year. Fischer is a decorated athlete with his eye on national meets like the Nike Cross Nationals at Portland, Ore., and the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego, Calif.
CAMREN FISCHER
SCHOOL Fayetteville
CLASS Senior
HEIGHT 5-10
WEIGHT 145
NOTABLE Defending state champion in boys cross country in Arkansas. … Won second consecutive Chile Pepper Festival meet on a muddy course in 15:20.3. … first Arkansas athlete to be named the state’s Gatorade Cross County and Boys Track Athlete of the year in the same calendar season…. Highly-recruited athlete who has four confirmed visits lined up before deciding on which college to attend. … Hopes to join the business world or medical field after college.
Those races will be held on consecutive weekends in December.
"I finished last at Foot Locker (among 40 runners) last year after I got tripped up and couldn't recover," Fischer said. "So, I've got a chip on my shoulder, and I'm trying to make it back to those races and do really well."
A motivated Fischer likely means trouble for the opposition, especially among Arkansas' cross country and track teams. Fischer is a dominant distance runner who became the first Arkansas athlete to be named the state's Gatorade Cross Country and Boys Track Athlete of the year in the same calendar year.
It is a prestigious distinction that makes the defending state champion in Arkansas a target on the course in the fall and track in the spring.
"Yes, it's a little added pressure because those are awesome awards, and I want to win," Fischer said. "But no, because I don't want to think about it so much and let the pressure get to me."
Fischer emphasized he was pleased again to win the Chile Pepper Festival, a popular local event that draws some of the top college and high school runners from around the region. But he was not thrilled with his time of 15:20.3, which he won by nearly seven seconds over the second-place finisher on a sloppy course.
His time was 14 seconds slower than his winning margin as a junior last year.
"There was a couple of different factors," Fischer said. "The fact the Hogs moved it up was a factor because we've been going through a really tough training period and my legs were a little more tired than usual. The weather, too, was a factor. The course was muddy, which turned down the tempo and kept us from rolling."
Fischer hopes to get rolling again at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, N.C., on Oct. 12. His goal is to run a sub-15 at the meet after he ran 15:20.3 last week at Agri Park.
Fayetteville coach Michelle Fyfe is confident he can make it if the conditions are better.
"Cameron is one of the top runners in the country," Fyfe said. "When you're at that level in high school, you're comparing yourself to others around the country and not necessarily runners at the local meets. He's looking at other times and comparing himself to that. He knows he can get there with the right conditions where those guys are at."
While running is his passion, Fischer has other interests and pursuits. He's nearly a 4.0 student who is also involved with Special Olympics. He also played baseball as a freshman before turning to cross country and track and field full time.
"Fayetteville hosts a Special Olympics every year and that's an opportunity for people to come out and participate who normally don't get to," Fischer said. "I think it's really important for them to come out and have fun."
Sports on 09/27/2018