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Pumped Up Picks: Justyn Knight

By Becky Wade

May 26, 2017

 

It’s no secret that Justyn Knight likes Drake. If you followed the recent Payton Jordan Invitational, where the University of Syracuse junior torched the 5K field and recorded the fourth fastest time in NCAA history, you know that.

But what else fills Knight’s earbuds—specifically in those critical pre-race hours? We asked. And in typical fashion, Knight delivered.

Besides his main man (who shows up in exactly half of his 28-song playlist), Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Usher, Future, and DMX are all repeat inclusions. There’s even a Bieber feature in the mix, and a respectable throwback to Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”

Knight may not get to every song on his list in the lead-in to a race. But when he toes the line—as he will next on Saturday at the DI NCAA East Preliminary Round (5K semifinal at 8:45 p.m. ET)—you can trust that the following four songs have been played:

  1. New Flame (Chris Brown, Usher, Rick Ross): “I always start with this song. I used to play it all the time freshman year while singing along. Kinda turned into a tradition.”
  2. 9 (Drake): “This song is really soothing. I feel like lyrically there’s certain parts I can relate to or agree with. Making the decision to be all in on the track and give my best effort.”
  3. John (Lil Wayne, Rick Ross): “This song just gets me hyped. I remember I would listen to this before all my basketball games, or even just in the house with my brother. The beat alone just gets my heart pumping.”
  4. I Do It (2 Chainz, Drake, Lil Wayne): “I like the beat in this song. Lyrics get me pretty hyped up too.”

Find the entirety of Knight’s pre-race playlist below, and wonder with the rest of us which lyrics he’s clinging to in his lap-by-lap quest for that elusive NCAA title.

(Warning: Though best experienced with volume all the way up, some songs are not meant for sensitive ears.)

https://open.spotify.com/user/bwade1989/playlist/7t9OFmZHmgzGKv7kP8NxFe

Becky Wade

Native Texan, Rice University grad, Colorado transplant. Specializing in the 3K Steeplechase and Marathon. Author of “Run the World: My 3,500-Mile Journey Through Running Cultures Around the Globe,” which is available on Amazon and wherever else you get your books.