Affolder Spectacular Three Times In A Row For Jungle TC

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

NEW YORK – Sam Affolder knows what people were saying about him. That he couldn't close the big race. That he melted down under pressure. 

“There’s a lot of side chatter, background noise that is not going to help my performance at all,” he said. “I just try and block it out and just surround myself with people who believe in me. I know I’m very good at running. It helped this weekend.” 

WATCH SUNDAY'S NBNI FINALS

On Friday night and all day Saturday at New Balance Nationals Indoor at The Armory, Affolder gave people plenty of reason to talk about him -- for all the right reasons.

In a stirring display of fitness and speed, Affolder turned in three sensational legs for his Jungle TC (Loudoun Valley VA) teammates, who won an unprecedented three distance relay championships and produced two national records. 

“After last year, especially after being the reason we didn’t get the three-peat, it’s just so glorifying to know this is what we came here to do … we backed up what our plan was,” Affolder said. “I’m most proud of how humble we were this entire weekend, knowing that typically when we start opening our mouths that's when things start to go downhill. When we race knowing who we are, great things can happen.” 

JUNGLE TC TEAM INTERVIEW

COACHES JOAN AND MARC HUNTER

On Friday evening, Affolder anchored the distance medley relay, clocking 4:06.21 on the final 1,600-meter leg to bring his team the victory and a national record in 9:54.41. The record he broke belonged the 2017 Carlisle PA team, of which he was a member along with his older brother Noah.

Less than 24 hours later, he turned in a 4:06.19 full mile on the third leg of the 4xMile relay, giving Loudoun Valley a lead that Jacob Hunter held onto crossing the line in 17:01.81, breaking another national record.

A few hours later on Saturday evening, he did the same thing. He came from behind in the third leg of the 4x800, splitting 1:51.3 to give Hunter the baton with a lead. Once again,  Hunter refused to relinquish first place despite pressure from Warrior Project (Weddington NC) and held on until the finish line for victory No. 3.  

“It was a season where I had a lot of ups and I tried to think of the races where I blew up as not being downs because I’m still running PRs and doing exceptionally well,” Affolder said. “But I knew there was more in me than just being the guy who could get to that big event. I wanted to be the guy the team could rely on.” 

To get a true picture of where Affolder is coming from, go back to the fall of 2016. A sophomore at Carlisle, Affolder finished in second place at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships. A few weeks later, he placed dead last the Foot Locker national race. He then turned around and had a great sophomore indoor season.

Take last year’s DMR at NBNI, where he ran a 4:13.36 anchor leg but got passed by Brentwood TN's Brodey Hasty and the team lost. A month later, Affolder had a big lead on the final leg of the DMR at the Penn Relays, but lost it on the final lap and finished third. 

To his credit, Affolder has won multiple state titles and qualified for many big, prestigious races. But on too many high profile occasions, something was amiss.

This winter, Loudoun Valley coaches Marc and Joan Hunter figured it out. Affolder had a troubling history of headaches and vomiting after big races. It turns out, the issue was related to overhydration. Since the end of cross country, Affolder has been drinking a bit less water and been incorporating more electrolytes into his diet.

The Hunters said he’s now found that extra gear. 

“For anybody that knows Sam very well, he’s very easy going, sees the bigger picture,” his mother, Brandyn, said. “He takes things seriously in his own way. He’s such a happy, always-in-a-good-mood person. He’s really good about letting go and moving on.” 

So don't call the weekend a comeback for Affolder, because he never left.

But two days into NBNI, he's the biggest star of the meet. Clutch. 

“It makes me excited for the outdoor season,” Affolder said. “I think the sky is the limit is to what I can do.”