Matt Baxter Explained

Matt Baxter
Birth Date:1994 8, df=yes
Hometown:New Plymouth
Country:New Zealand
Sport:Long-distance running
Collegeteam:Northern Arizona University
Club:Hoka Northern Arizona Elite

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

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.

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 our 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

Championship results

YearMeetVenueEventPlaceTime
2010New Zealand U17 ChampionshipsChristchurch3000m3rd8:53.26
2011New Zealand U17 ChampionshipsDunedin1st8:30.68
1500m2nd3:55.89
Commonwealth Youth GamesNational Sports Centre3000m7th8:46.39
2013New Zealand Athletics ChampionshipsAuckland5000m5th14:24.19
2015New Zealand Athletics ChampionshipsWellington1500m12th3:59.95
5000m7th14:55.69
2016NCAA XC ChampionshipsLaVern Gibson Cross Country Course10 km11th30:03.1
2017NCAA XC ChampionshipsE. P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park10 km2nd29:00.8
NCAA Indoor ChampionshipsGilliam Indoor Track Stadium5000m14th14:08.28
NCAA Outdoor ChampionshipsHayward Field10,000m7th29:09.83
2018NCAA Indoor ChampionshipsGilliam Indoor Track Stadium3000m11th8:10.28
NCAA Outdoor ChampionshipsHayward Field10,000m5th28:39.35
2019New Zealand Athletics ChampionshipsChristchurch14:14.651st14:04.44
World Cross Country ChampionshipsAarhus10 km45th34:03
2020New Zealand Road Running ChampionshipsAuckland10 km1st30:22
New Zealand Athletics ChampionshipsChristchurch5000m2nd14:14.65
2023World Cross Country ChampionshipsMount Panorama Circuit~10 km58th32:22

Personal records

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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Matt Baxter. 10 July 2020. World Athletics.
  2. Web site: Senior men's race. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200706223921/https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitiondocuments/pdf/6265/AT-XSE-M-f----.RS6.pdf?v=-1530503012. 6 July 2020. 27 June 2020. 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
  3. Web site: Matt Baxter . December 20, 2023 . NAU Athletics.
  4. Web site: January 17, 2018 . Baxter's NCAA star on rise . December 20, 2023 . NZ Herald.
  5. Web site: November 27, 2023 . Humans of NAU: Matt Baxter . December 20, 2023 . The NAU Review.
  6. Web site: Get to Know Matt Baxter! . December 20, 2023 . Hoka Northern Arizona elite.
  7. Web site: Hartmann . Mike . October 18, 2023 . NAZ Elite This Week: Baxter completes marathon of writing 'Running Up the Mountain' . December 20, 2023 . Arizona Daily Sun.