From School ‘Sack Races’ to the US Nationals—What You Can Learn From Max Daniels

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My cousin, Max Daniels, is one of the fastest high schoolers in the state of New Jersey—a county champion and competitor at the US Nationals this year.

As he continues trying to shave as much time off his PB as he can, it’s more important than ever to figure out what really counts when it comes to peak performance.

I called Max yesterday to interview him about his journey and try to help him figure out his training strategy for the coming months.

The conversation was full of interesting stories and lessons that I thought you would enjoy, so we’re sharing it in this email.

Among other things, we talked about:

• Max’s journey from a seven-year-old ‘sack race’ animal to the US Nationals

• How Max shaved 4 seconds off his 400m hurdles time in just two meets—and what triggered the breakthrough.

• What moving from the UK to the US taught Max about training, coaching, and culture in track and field.

• Why the 400m hurdles is the “hardest race in track and field”

Here’s our conversation, edited for clarity. . .

Benji: So, Max, let’s start at the beginning. What’s your earliest memory of racing?

Max: Hmm, probably back in primary school during sports day. We had all these races—like the sack race, skipping race, and sprints. I remember being one of the fastest in school. I guess I had the genetics early on to be quick, even at that age. I was probably six or seven.

Benji: What did it feel like back then?

Max: It was just fun to be fast. And let’s be honest—it’s always fun to win.

Benji: Yeah, I get that. So, do you remember the first time you thought, “Oh, I might actually be good at this”?

Max: Definitely. There was this race between me and another kid who was also one of the fastest in school. It was supposed to be 200 meters, though looking back, it probably wasn’t—it just felt big because we were kids. Anyway, it was the last race of the day, and it was just me and him, with a couple of other kids who couldn’t really compete with us. I got a great start, and it was so exciting running past the crowd—parents, teachers, everyone. I won that race, and it just clicked for me.

Benji: When you were younger, was your speed just something you noticed during races, or did it show up in the rest of your life too?

Max: Oh, I had a lot of energy as a kid—always bouncing off the walls. I remember spending hours on the trampoline, and my family would be like, “How are you still jumping?” I just had infinite energy back then.

Benji: So, was there a point when other people started noticing you were special at this?

Max: My mom was the first. She noticed how much I loved running and how fast I was, so she signed me up for an athletics club when I was about eight. I stuck with it until we moved to America.

Benji: Was that a gradual thing, or was there a moment where your family decided, “Let’s go all in on this”?

Max: It was more gradual. I was already running a lot at sports days and using my speed in football matches. Like, we’d play football, and I’d just pace abuse everyone. I used my speed to my advantage every chance I got.

Benji: I’ve never heard of pace abusing.

Jacob: (Max’s brother, listening in on the call) that’s probably because you were never on the football team.

Benji: (laughing) True. Okay, so you moved to America. Was the move something you thought would help your running, or was that a surprise once you got there?

Max: My parents did tell me before the move that America has teams at every school, so they thought it would help. And yeah, once we got there, it became clear I could get way more training than I ever had in the UK.

Benji: For our readers, especially those in the US, can you explain the difference between athletics in the UK versus America?

Max: In England, schools don’t really have sports teams, so you have to join clubs outside of school—and you have to pay for those. The coaches at the clubs are great because it’s their full-time job, but it’s not as frequent. In America, you train more often because it’s built into the school system. You can just go to practice after school, which makes it way easier.

Benji: That’s so interesting. I assumed America would be better across the board, but you’re saying the UK’s coaching quality is actually really good.

Max: Exactly. The frequency of training is better in the US, but the coaches I had in the UK were excellent.

Benji: What about the cultural differences? In the UK, was it harder to stay motivated because fewer people were doing it?

Max: Definitely. In America, track is way more popular. It was great to have my friends doing it too—it made it more fun and social. But in the UK, I still would’ve kept running because I loved it.

Benji: Has your progress been steady, or were there any breakthrough moments?

Max: It was mostly gradual—just getting stronger and faster as I grew. But last year, there was a big jump. In my sophomore year, my best time in the 400-meter hurdles was 58 seconds. I wasn’t happy with that. Then, last spring, I dropped to 55 in one meet, then 54 in the next. It was a massive leap, and I took it all the way to Nationals.

Benji: That’s insane! Do you know what triggered such a big improvement?

Max: It was partly mental. I wasn’t pushing myself in smaller meets because I knew I could win without going all out. But at that big meet, I told myself, “This is your race to lose.” I also worked with an amazing coach at a training center called High Intensity leading up to it. That made a huge difference.

Benji: And then, once you knew it was possible to run sub 55, that became the new benchmark?

Max: Exactly.

Benji: Speaking of races, do you have any pre-race rituals?

Max: (Laughs) Honestly, I always have to take a pre-race poop. It’s a must. Then I do some warm-ups, practice a few hurdles, and lock in when I get to the line.

Benji: What’s been your most memorable race so far?

Max: Probably the Meet of Champions last year. It was the biggest event in the county, and I won the 400 hurdles. That, or a 4x200 relay where my team absolutely dominated. Both were incredible moments.

Benji: Can you walk me through a 400-meter hurdles race? What’s your approach?

Max: I start hard—smooth but hard. My focus is to get over the first three hurdles as cleanly as possible. Then it’s just hurdle after hurdle, keeping my form smooth and fast. When I hit the last 100 meters, it’s all about digging deep for the final push. I pace myself, though—maybe 90% at the start. If you go 100% from the beginning, you’ll blow up halfway through.

Benji: That makes sense. So why the 400 hurdles? Did you choose it, or did it choose you?

Max: My coach suggested it during my sophomore year. I’d never done hurdles before, but he thought I’d be good at it. Turns out, I picked it up quickly and just kept improving.

Benji: What’s something most people don’t know about the 400 hurdles?

Max: It’s the hardest race in track and field. Hands down. It’s physically and mentally brutal—you need real strength to keep jumping over 10 hurdles while maintaining a fast pace.

Benji: Looking ahead, what’s your dream?

Max: The ultimate dream is to make it to the Olympics. But for now, I just want to race at the collegiate level—hopefully at BYU. That’s the next step.

Benji: Any advice for younger athletes looking to improve?

Max: Focus on the technical details. It’s not just about running more—it’s about improving your form, your knee drive, staying on the balls of your feet, all those little things. If you get 1% better every time, it adds up.

Jacob: (chiming in) Yeah, the process is everything. You’d think getting faster is just about running more, but it’s not. It’s about breaking down every part of the race and training each piece—endurance, the start, the sprint finish. That’s how you make real progress.

Benji: Cool. Thanks Max!

Thanks for reading!

If you’d like to connect with Max, it’s @maxdaniels65 on Instagram.

If you’d like to be featured in an interview like this, feel free to respond to this email or reach out at [email protected]

Until next week, 

Benji and Jacob

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