As part of the Hoka One Future Stars program, MileSplit is highlighting some of the top underclass cross country runners throughout the country. Our first profile will be on Germantown Friends sophomore Nick Dahl. Dahl had an impressive freshman season, winning the 1600, 800 and 3200 meter runs at the Friends League Championship, and by winning the New Balance Outdoor Nationals Freshman 2 mile championship race in June. Dahl talks to PennTrack about his passion for running and how much he enjoys the incredible team atmosphere in the GFS camp.
Tell us how you got started with competitive running.
I began running races with my mother in Philadelphia when I was eight years old, but my first exposure to a team and a consistent training plan came when I joined the cross-country program at Germantown Friends in 6th grade. My mother had run throughout her high school years, and also temporarily at Yale University, so she served as the driving force behind me getting into running, which she has supported since my first day at practice.
What were some of your expectations heading into your first season?
For my first season of running, I didn't know what to expect because my exposure to athletic teams had previously been exclusively baseball or soccer, but my ultimate goal was to be in our top seven by the end of the season. However, I was swept up by the culture and the team camaraderie immediately, and within a few weeks of practice I knew that running was what I wanted to dedicate my entire athletic pursuit towards.
Talk about the one race that gave you the belief that you could be really good at running.
The first major race I took part in, run at Belmont Plateau among Friends League schools and other independent teams, served as my first indication that I might have the potential to make something incredible happen with the years of running ahead of me. In a field of roughly 200 kids, ranging from sixth to eighth grade, I took 12th overall, which was the highest finish of anyone in the sixth grade. Since then, because of the incredible training and opportunities I've been given, there have been better races where I performed at a higher caliber and competed against stronger fields of opponents, but that race will forever be the moment I will remember as the day I realized I could do something great on the track and the cross-country courses, for both me as an individual and my team.
Which season do you enjoy the most (cross country, indoor, outdoor) and why?
For the team dynamic, nothing beats the late months of cross-country seasons, but personally I enjoy outdoor track most of all. I think the linear comparisons you can draw from the consistent data of meets appeals to me and my mathematical side, and being able to watch the progression of a season as you decrease your time for different events is one of my favorite elements. Winter track is also great, but coming from Philadelphia where the weather gets cold and vicious in the dark months of the year, I much prefer the warm, outdoor training we get in the spring.
Which cross country course is your favorite and why?
My favorite has to be Holmdel Park in New Jersey, because to me it represents everything a cross-country course is meant to be. I enjoy flat, easily raced courses as much as anybody, but those courses seem to lack a certain element of grittiness that can be found trudging out of The Bowl in the final stretches of the race. The sheer adrenaline rush of the mad dash towards the Funnel at the beginning of the race gives it such an electrifying start, and the rolling hills throughout the middle portion keep you awake and reactive throughout all 5,000 meters.
Which track event is your favorite and why?
I've always had a love for the DMR, just because it requires such strong elements from many different disciplines of running to achieve a successful final relay. The variation of distances that each leg runs make it an interesting one to watch and it allows the teammates involved with the relay to race alongside of each other, which does not happen often. Everybody has their own unique leg to run, which gives you a sense of ownership, and each leg is equally important to the success of the team.
How did your coaches help you with each step in your progression? How did they keep the sport fun? How did they take the pressure off?
My coach Rob Hewitt has helped me through my progression as a runner in the last year by involving me in the decision-making process, and giving me full transparency into what information went into the decisions he made to shape and decide my training. We are based out of scientific fact in our training program, and he has carefully explained to our whole team the rationale behind his choices, so that we can not only know what we are doing, but also why we are doing it. The progression I made in
the last year from local races to the national stage was aided greatly not only by those who are immediately involved with me, such as my family and friends who I can't thank enough for their support, but also by the community which surrounds me at my school and other extensions of my life and encourages me to keep reaching farther. The sport has always been fun for me, and running has been a burning passion of mine for many years now, but my coaches make sure to let my team express ourselves in whatever ridiculous or downright goofy way we want to. Every practice is the highlight of my day, because the teammates I practice with and the coaches who help us all achieve success are some of the most genuinely accepting and hilarious people I have ever met. There's a healthy amount of pressure to be good, because we're all striving after the same thing, but whenever someone falls short of a personal goal the team is there for them in support and encouragement.
What has your interaction been like with your teammates since your early success?
I'd like to think that nothing has changed based off of how well I have been able to do, because at heart I know we all have worked just as hard as each other, and I got lucky with the uncontrollable factors that let me run like I do. They have all been incredibly supportive of me in the last year, through all of my races and training, and I try to be equally supportive of all of them. Our team is a tightly knit group of individuals, where we all have the same opportunities and are treated as equals, regardless of your grade and ability. And I would never want it to be any other way on our team.
How do you plan on tackling the expectations placed on you this season?
The only expectations I want to focus on are those I have placed on myself, which is what I have believed in since day one. I will work as hard as I'm able to, and whatever comes from that will be a personal victory. That's not to say that I don't want to continue to accelerate and push my own limits farther and farther, which is exactly what I intend to do. It's just to say that the external pressures of other's expectations shouldn't have to be a factor in anyone's season. At the end of the day, the only person you have to live with constantly is yourself, and as long as you find a sense of self-satisfaction from what you have achieved, then I think that's well worth it. Running fast is what gives me that satisfaction, and I want to continue to succeed and move forward as my training progresses and I mature over this season.
What are your goals for 2014-15?
This year my primary objective is to run two miles in under 9:00 during the track season, and to help lead my team to victories in States and the Friends League Championships. I want to run a DMR with the other incredible track athletes from my team, and get it good enough through the winter to be able to compete in Penn Relays in the spring. We have an incredible amount of developed and raw talent in our program, so I want to help my team captains in leading the team towards victories, and inspiring the younger class to preserver and stick with a sport that hurts more than all others.
