Carter Mikkelsen, Holliston Track Superstar

Having parents who are avid runners, including a mother who holds some national records, Holliston’s Carter Mikkelsen’s calling on the high school track was inevitable. The Holliston native, who always had running on his mind, made his way onto the middle school cross country and track teams in seventh grade.
Upon entering high school, Mikkelsen didn’t know what to expect, but he soon found out that there were other athletes that were better than he was.
“I was nervous, as I heard all about the top runners at the high school, but the distance runners were all super nice to me,” he said. “It was strange as I was coming from a place where I was winning all the time only to find that I was struggling to finish third. It gave me more of an understanding that I was not perfect and needed to improve.”
As a freshman, Mikkelsen ran anything that his coach wanted him to, but it was soon evident what his main event would eventually be.
“Coming in, I thought that the mile was going to be my thing, but when I ran a personal best of 2:06 in the 800 at the Tri-Valley League Championships, I figured that I could do this,” he said. “I focused on the 800, and it has become by best event.”
Entering his sophomore year at Holliston Mikkelsen had set a goal of winning the 800 in the Freshman/Sophomore Tournament. Unfortunately, he fell just short and wound up taking second. However, things were not all lost on that day as Mikkelsen got his time down to two minutes flat and by the All States, he lowered his time to 1:58.
“Losing doesn’t really bother me, I just don’t let it get to me unless I really ran a bad race, and then I’m frustrated with myself,” Mikkelsen said. “So, by not winning the race, I was ok with it especially since it reminded me that I may not be the best and gave me the motivation to do so.”
Unlike most track stars who run both the indoor and outdoor season, Mikkelsen takes the winter season off after playing soccer for the Panthers in the fall. While other runners are participating in events, Mikkelsen is training and working out on his own looking to improve his skills.
As a junior, Mikkelsen used his motivation to be the best runner that he could possibly be and posted his best season as a Panther runner. The junior went undefeated in the 800 during league meets, finished second in the Division 3 Meet and recorded a personal best of 1:57 at the all State Meet, winning his heat while breaking the school record. He would finish 10th overall in the States.
“Going into the race, I absolutely knew what the school record was, and it had been pretty much of a goal of mine,” the 800-runner said. “I had been running right around that time and knew that I could do better. I had a really good run, winning my heat and it was a great moment when I got it.”
With his name now etched in the Holliston record books, the now senior is shooting for the school record in the mile; an event his Coach believes he can surpass.
“Carter has always had the talent. As a freshman, he was one of our best runners,” Panther Track Coach Aaron Ladd said. “By the end of his high school career, he could be the best in Holliston history.”
The school record is currently 4:24, and Mikkelsen has run a 4:28 at Hopkinton last year.
“Coming into the season I’m thinking about taking that record too,” he said. “That 4:28 time solidified in my mind that it was possible, and I should be able to do it. Unfortunately, with the season on hold, it’s very frustrating that I might not get a chance to accomplish that goal.”
With the coronavirus putting the entire athletic world at a stand-still, Mikkelsen is hoping that he eventually gets a chance to go after the school record in the mile.
“It would be a shame if it doesn’t happen. I really want that mile record,” he said. “And although a stretch, the 400 is also within my reach, and I feel that I am in the best shape of my career. I hope that I don’t close out my track career without getting the opportunity.”