RECORD BREAKER: Callum Evans achieved another personal best and broke a 20-year record in the 12 year boys 800m at the North Burnett Primary Athletics Carnival, 2014. Photo Shirley Way / Central & North Burnett Times Shirley Way
ENDURANCE runner Callum Evans keeps raising the bar for himself and others.
The 12-year-old, who excels at the 800m, has been slashing seconds off his personal best at successive events - school, district and zone - to qualify for the Wide Bay carnival and his effort has broken some long-standing records.
At the Gayndah district carnival, Callum slashed one second off his personal best to win with a record-breaking 2:27 run.
At last week's North Burnett (zone) primary athletics carnival, Callum dropped his speed to 2:25.03 to break a 20-year record held by M Kelly.
Despite smashing decade old records, Callum is a hard taskmaster who wants more.
"I want to drop my speed to 2:20 or below," Callum said.
"I want to represent the whole Wide Bay region - in my eyes that's a big place."
In striving to reach his personal best, Callum said he pushes himself through with a mantra.
"Every time I try and tell myself the time will get better; 'you're going to get better, you're going to get better'.
"Each time I get past a level, I do more training."
There were good days and bad days in training, Callum said.
On the bad days, he described a "certain point when I have had a breakthrough and then I drop in the middle and stay there".
"On the good days, I can usually do more, more than I have ever done," Callum said.
"I feel good when I'm running."
Staying relaxed in the race was something he had learned from his dad.
"I tell myself it's only two-and-a-half-minutes; it goes very quick," he said.
While the cheering from everyone in the crowd motivates him, the answer to achieving his next personal best at Wide Bay was self-belief.
"If you can picture yourself doing it, you're pretty well doing it."
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