We are pleased to highlight KRKO’s Russell & Hill Male High School October Athlete, Ramon Little. At just a sophomore, Ramon has already made an impressive mark in cross-country and track at Arlington High School. His dedication has earned him accolades, such as placing second in the state Ambulatory race last year, and his ambitions—like breaking the 19-minute mark in the 5K—show no sign of slowing down. Beyond his accomplishments, Ramon values the supportive community of teammates, coaches, and family that motivates him to excel, both on and off the course.
SCSC: How did you get started with cross-country running, and what drew you to the sport?
LITTLE: For me, it all started in middle school because I wanted to do a sport each of the four seasons. Cross Country was the only sport in the fall with both boys and girls, so I started then. When I got to high school, I was inspired by all the other runners there, so I kept running. The coaches and older kids were really encouraging and told me to do it.
SCSC: Being only a sophomore, do you have any cross-country related goals that you want to achieve before you graduate?
LITTLE: Next year, I would like to win the state Ambulatory race. I got second place this year, so I want to win. As a time goal, I want to run the 5k in 19 minutes. Right now, I’m running it at 20 minutes and 12 seconds.
SCSC: What has been the most memorable part of your running career at Arlington High School?
LITTLE: It’s not necessarily the running part, it’s just the environment, people, and how well they treat me. They’re always there for me, if I’m having a bad race or a good race. The community we have is so good and so strong, and I really like that.
SCSC: What has been your greatest career achievement?
LITTLE: Switching over to track, I was not expecting to place second, twice as well as placing seventh at state all in my freshman year in ambulatory track. That’s not where my expectations were set at all and it didn’t sink in until I got home. I never thought I would do that. With cross country, I wasn’t sure I was going to get a high place because there are so many people on the team, and I got 3rd place my freshman year and 2nd place this last year. I can’t wait to see what I achieve in track this year.
SCSC: Do you have any pre-race rituals or superstitions?
LITTLE: I have one that works really well for me, but it’s a little weird. I go through things that that are pretty painful, so what I’ll do is take all that pain, even if I don’t really feel it, and I will stick it in a lock box with a key and a padlock in my mind, and I will forget the code and throw away the key. Then I throw the box off a cliff into water, and it sinks to the bottom so that there won’t be any pain until I cross the finish line. It helps me stay focused.
SCSC: What role does your family play in your running journey?
LITTLE: My family is always very proud of me, no matter what I do. They always encourage me and push me, even when I think I don’t run my best. They were the ones that got me involved in doing ambulatory, no one at our school had ever really heard of it. The coaches had never had an ambulatory runner at their school and now I am able to score points for them.
SCSC: What has athletics/cross-country taught you about yourself on and off the course?
LITTLE: It’s taught me to push myself to my limits, no matter what. I can always do better than I think I can. If it’s schoolwork or meeting someone in real life, I need to get out there and do it.
SCSC: Are there any hobbies or interests outside of cross country that are important to you?
LITTLE: I grew up very privileged because I had access to almost every sport in my garage. I really enjoy playing basketball, soccer, and lacrosse. I also like mountain biking, snowboarding, and wakeboarding. I really love doing all three of those because I get to push myself to the limits. I love being outside in general, that is something that matters to me a lot. They are all activities I get to do with my family as well.
SCSC: What piece of advice has stuck with you that you want to pass on to others?
LITTLE: Don’t let the judgment get to you. I have experienced a lot especially when I was younger I was like the judgment of people telling me what I can and can’t do and it’s having that has really just drives me to be better in all aspects of my life because it just pushes me and makes things order but that’s just all I know all I know is it being harder and so I can just put that in and really someone else who is just perfectly normal and fine has everything good can just not let any of the criticism show them who they are and they just show those people who they really are and they just feed themselves awesome beautiful
SCSC: What’s one thing on your bucket list?
LITTLE: Probably something like skydiving or bungee jumping, but something more realistic would probably be traveling to Alaska. I’ve never been there; it looks really cool.