Bob Jones' Xavier Gaddy combines speed with stamina

Mike Easterling, The Huntsville Times, April 02, 2009 1:56 p.m.

Bob Jones sophomore sprinter Xavier Gaddy. - (Michael Mercier / The Huntsville Times)

MADISON - Running the 400-meter race is not for the weak of body or mind.

It's a sprint like the 100, but times four, leaving Bob Jones' Xavier Gaddy to admit he's "dead'' when he crosses the finish line.

"My legs start burning, I get dizzy," he said.

Yet he loves the event.

"A true 400-meter guy embraces it," Patriots coach Robin Gaines said. "Michael Johnson embraced it, and Xavier has embraced it. It pushes the anaerobic threshold."

That's what impresses Gaines most about his sophomore runner. Gaddy not only runs

that exhausting race as much as twice in a day at some meets, but he also runs the 200 meters along with legs for the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.

"You've got to have speed, and you've also got to have heart and a lot of guts," Gaines said. "He's a stallion. We saddle him up and ride him pretty hard."