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

Matt Baxter
Personal information
Born (1994-08-06) 6 August 1994 (age 30)
Home townNew Plymouth
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportLong-distance running
College team Northern Arizona University
ClubHoka Northern Arizona Elite
2022 New York Marathon

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

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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

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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

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

Authorship

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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

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All results taken from Word Athletics profile[1]

Championship results

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Year Meet Venue Event Place Time
2010 New Zealand U17 Championships Christchurch 3000m 3rd 8:53.26
2011 New Zealand U17 Championships Dunedin 1st 8:30.68
1500m 2nd 3:55.89
Commonwealth Youth Games National Sports Centre 3000m 7th 8:46.39
2013 New Zealand Athletics Championships Auckland 5000m 5th 14:24.19
2015 New Zealand Athletics Championships Wellington 1500m 12th 3:59.95
5000m 7th 14:55.69
2016 NCAA XC Championships LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course 10 km 11th 30:03.1
2017 NCAA XC Championships E. P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park 10 km 2nd 29:00.8
NCAA Indoor Championships Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium 5000m 14th 14:08.28
NCAA Outdoor Championships Hayward Field 10,000m 7th 29:09.83
2018 NCAA Indoor Championships Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium 3000m 11th 8:10.28
NCAA Outdoor Championships Hayward Field 10,000m 5th 28:39.35
2019 New Zealand Athletics Championships Christchurch 14:14.65 1st 14:04.44
World Cross Country Championships Aarhus 10 km 45th 34:03
2020 New Zealand Road Running Championships Auckland 10 km 1st 30:22
New Zealand Athletics Championships Christchurch 5000m 2nd 14:14.65
2023 World Cross Country Championships Mount Panorama Circuit ~10 km 58th 32:22

Personal records

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Surface Event Time Date Venue
Short Track 3000m 7:47.85 February 15, 2020 Boston University
5000m 13:27.61 January 24, 2020 Boston University
Outdoor Track 10,000m 28:10.05 May 3, 2018 Palo Alto, CA
Road Marathon 2:17:15 November 6, 2022 New York, NY

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Matt Baxter". World Athletics. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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.
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