Matt Baxter

Last updated

Matt Baxter
Personal information
Born (1994-08-06) 6 August 1994 (age 30)
Home town New Plymouth
Sport
Country New Zealand
Sport Long-distance running
College team Northern Arizona University
Club Hoka Northern Arizona Elite
2022 New York Marathon Matt Baxter 29 NYM 2022 jeh.jpg
2022 New York Marathon

Matt Baxter (born 6 August 1994) [1] is a New Zealand long-distance runner.

Contents

In 2019, he competed in the senior men's race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus, Denmark. [1] [2] He finished in 46th place. [2]

Early career

Baxter attended New Plymouth Boys' High School in New Plymouth, New Zealand where he was born and raised. At the time of graduation he held the New Zealand High School senior track record in the 3000m. [3]

Collegiate career

Baxter ran for Northern Arizona University from 2016 to 2018. He chose NAU because of the coaching staff and the opportunity to train at altitude. Prior to running for NAU, Baxter studied at Auckland University of Technology where he competed under the guidance of Kerry Rodger. Baxter studied criminology at both institutions. [4] [5]

In his first season running for the NAU cross country team Baxter finished 2nd at the Big Sky XC Championships and 11th overall at the NCAA XC Championships, helping lead NAU to the first national championship in school history.

The following fall Baxter once again finished 2nd at the Big Sky XC Championships. At the NCAA XC Championships he finished 2nd overall to Syracuse runner Justyn Knight by less than half a second. The Lumberjacks also finished as national champions for the second straight year. [3]

Professional career

Baxter started running for the Hoka training group Northern Arizona Elite in 2019. [6]

Authorship

Baxters first book, Hurt Me If You Can: The Tales of a High School Runner, come out in 2019. The self-published book is an autobiographical account of Baxter figuring out running in his highs school years.

In 2023, Baxter co-authored Running Up the Mountain with former NAU XC coach Ron Mann. The book was published by Flagstaff-based Soulstice Publishing. It chronicles the start of the Lumberjacks men's cross country dynasty as well as the team's connection to the Flagstaff community. [7]

Results and personal records

All results taken from Word Athletics profile [1]

Championship results

YearMeetVenueEventPlaceTime
2010New Zealand U17 Championships Christchurch 3000m3rd8:53.26
2011New Zealand U17 Championships Dunedin 1st8:30.68
1500m2nd3:55.89
Commonwealth Youth Games National Sports Centre 3000m7th8:46.39
2013 New Zealand Athletics Championships Auckland 5000m5th14:24.19
2015 New Zealand Athletics Championships Wellington 1500m12th3:59.95
5000m7th14:55.69
2016 NCAA XC Championships LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course 10 km11th30:03.1
2017 NCAA XC Championships E. P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park 10 km2nd29:00.8
NCAA Indoor Championships Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium 5000m14th14:08.28
NCAA Outdoor Championships Hayward Field 10,000m7th29:09.83
2018 NCAA Indoor Championships Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium 3000m11th8:10.28
NCAA Outdoor Championships Hayward Field 10,000m5th28:39.35
2019 New Zealand Athletics Championships Christchurch 14:14.651st14:04.44
World Cross Country Championships Aarhus 10 km45th34:03
2020New Zealand Road Running Championships Auckland 10 km1st30:22
New Zealand Athletics Championships Christchurch 5000m2nd14:14.65
2023 World Cross Country Championships Mount Panorama Circuit ~10 km58th32:22

Personal records

SurfaceEventTimeDateVenue
Short Track3000m7:47.85February 15, 2020 Boston University
5000m13:27.61January 24, 2020 Boston University
Outdoor Track10,000m28:10.05May 3, 2018 Palo Alto, CA
RoadMarathon2:17:15November 6, 2022 New York, NY

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Matt Baxter". World Athletics. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Senior men's race" (PDF). 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Matt Baxter". NAU Athletics. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  4. "Baxter's NCAA star on rise". NZ Herald. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  5. "Humans of NAU: Matt Baxter". The NAU Review. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  6. "Get to Know Matt Baxter!". Hoka Northern Arizona elite. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  7. Hartmann, Mike (18 October 2023). "NAZ Elite This Week: Baxter completes marathon of writing 'Running Up the Mountain'". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved 20 December 2023.