Evan Whitford became a state medal contender in the final three laps of his 3,200-meter run on Feb. 5.
The sophomore never planned on accomplishing a miracle at the Class 4A Central Regional indoor track championships. He just wanted to qualify for states.
“I’ve never gone to states for track before,” Whitford said, “and I knew I’d be a longshot, no matter what I did.”
As far as his odds go, he was wrong.
Whitford went from placing 10th at the county championships on a blistered foot to slashing 18 seconds off his own personal best and winning the region championship in 10 minutes, 5.89 seconds over favorited runners from Crofton.
For the first mile, the sophomore stuck to his plan, strafing behind another runner. Nothing stood out to him about the way he moved, other than the fact that he “felt good.” His 30-second third lap was fairly inconspicuous, although respectable. Whitford hovered in a pack.
Then, he realized he was gaining on the first-place runner, Scott Cunningham from Crofton. Whitford’s teammate, Max Marinello, glided just behind him. This has been their scheme: attack Crofton.
“I just started going,” Whitford said, “trying to beat the kid in front.”
In the last lap, his mind went blank. All of his energy poured into his legs, screaming as he flanked Marinello and Cunningham.
“They were all head-to-head in that last lap,” Broadneck coach Joshua Webster said. “As hard as any athlete could go after 15 200-meter laps.”
In the final stretch, Whitford sprinted with all the power he had. He glanced to see Cunningham slipping a pace behind him.
The magnitude of some major accomplishments don’t dawn on every athlete right away. Euphoria smacked Whitford in the face at once. His coaches met him at the finish line, excitement rushing through them.
“[Cunningham] was on me the whole lap. I thought he’d get by me,” Whitford said. “I was surprised. Everyone was surprised.”
But it wasn’t as though some divine gift flowed through the Bruins sophomore in the moment. He worked for this.
Ever since his freshman year, he signed up with a personal trainer and practiced, raced and prepped nonstop. Cutting 18 seconds in less than two weeks is a feat no matter what, but he shaved a minute and change from his personal record from the outdoor season.
He designed his training the same way he jetted ahead in the final moments. While some runners drift back with exhaustion in the last beats of a race, Whitford reserves his hardest effort for the last rep every time.
He’d always been tall and slim, Webster noted, and had potential as a freshman. But the addition of muscle turned Whitford into a threat.
“Coach Dewitt [Kneass], our distance coach, has been singing Evan’s praises for two years now and it’s clear that Evan is a future distance star for our program,” Webster said. “This was his big moment to announce that he is a real contender moving forward.”
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