Pali distance runner Max Fields, who won the 3,200-meter event in this year’s Los Angeles City Southern Section Track and Field championships, recently announced that he has accepted an appointment to attend the United States Air Force Academy next fall.
He will compete for the Falcons, who are members of the NCAA Division I Mountain West Conference.
“I have long dreamed of competing in college at the highest level,” Fields wrote in an Instagram post announcing his commitment. “Now I have the opportunity to do so and for something bigger than myself.”
Captain of the Boys Cross Country and Distance Track teams, Fields won Los Angeles City Division I cross country titles in 2021 and 2022. In addition, he is a two-time California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state finalist for track and holds the school record in the 3,200-meter race.
Every even day Fields runs with the Pali track team for an hour and a half to two hours. He said that uses his free period on odd days to run for half an hour, and practices for an hour after school on his own. In addition, Fields lifts weights twice a week.
Fields explained that despite the fact that the Air Force Academy is “a lot more work [and] less play than a normal university”, he chose to commit because of the camaraderie and collaborative environment he observed while touring the school in March.
Unlike most universities, certain engineering and mathematics classes as well as military training are mandatory so that all cadets can be commissioned into the United States Air Force as pilots.
At first, Fields said he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to attend the Air Force Academy because of its rigor as a military school; however, after touring the Academy base he was certain it was the best university to prepare him for his future.
“[I saw] the support you get from the team environment that’s created because of the rules [administration] sets in place,” Fields said. “Not rules where you hate the administration for them, but rules that you appreciate for the enrichment.
“I thought I would love it [there],” he said of the Air Force Academy. “And I don’t mind making the sacrifices because I see the benefit.”
However, running was not Fields’ first sport; before starting his running career, he swam and played soccer. Fields said that one major reason he continued running is because of the encouragement he received from the Paul Revere Middle School Physical Education (PE) department teachers while participating in the weekly mile as well as the school’s track and field program.
“I wouldn’t be running if it wasn’t for Revere and the PE program that has really positively impacted a lot of kids,” Fields said.
Now a senior, he explained he still feels the same passion for his sport.
“I love [running] just as much today as I did when I just started,” Fields said. “You really see the work you put in come out.”
