David Forward wasn't much of a sprinter.

When the Shawnee senior first tried competitive running, he entered a couple of short races. He finished back in the pack.

"I was more interested in seeing how fast I could go instead of how far I could go," he said.

Forward soon found another way to compete as a runner. He was friendly with some guys in middle school who were into distance running, and he decided to give that a try.

Today, Forward is one of South Jersey's best distance runners. He won the Burlington County Open earlier this cross-country season, and took first place in the Olympic Conference cross-country meet in a time of 16 minutes, 4 seconds Friday at Gloucester County College.

Forward, who plans to run in college, said he will make officials visits to Syracuse, Princeton, Georgetown, North Carolina, and William and Mary.

Like all top cross-country runners, Forward is gearing up for the first three weekends in November. He will be among the favorites at the Group 4 sectional meet Nov. 7, and also could place high in the Group 4 state meet Nov. 14 and the Meet of Champions Nov. 21.

Question: How has the season been going so far?

Answer: I wasn't happy with how I was running at the beginning of the season. But it's been getting better and better. I'm looking forward to the next few meets.

Q: Are you more of a track distance runner who competes in cross-country or a cross-country runner who competes in distance events in track?

A: I get asked that all the time. I think I'm a little more successful in track, so I guess I should like that better. But I like cross-country more. It's true running.

Q: How have you been doing as far as deciding on college?

A: It's been exciting but very stressful. I'm always thinking about what school would be better for me. I'm looking at a lot of great schools, so it's tough to make a decision.

Q: Do you know what you'd like to study?

A: For the longest time I thought I wanted to go to medical school. Now I'm thinking of changing that. I'm fascinated by our political system. I think I might study political science and then try law school.

Q: What's appealing about politics?