Track athlete sophomore Nathan Downie lines up on the school’s track, sweat beading down his forehead. The announcer directs the runners to set their marks as Downie bows his head. He’s met with a diverse mix of feelings– anxiety, excitement, and more– yet one takes over: drive. The announcer shoots his fake gun in the air and Downie takes off.
His legs tighten as he pounds his feet into the ground, running with the precise form taught to him by his coaches. Breathing hard, yet controlled, Downie rounds the first corner, then the next, and before he knows it, he’s about to cross the finish line. He’s winning, but Downie really runs to compete with himself. Pushing harder and still harder, Downie lunges across the finish line, breaking the freshman record and qualifying for nationals in the 800-meter race.
Downie didn’t always have a love for track and field. In the fall of 2022, his freshman year, Downie thought he’d become a soccer player. In fact, he only joined track to gain more stamina for soccer. Spring track, if you’re a running athlete, is divided into two subteams: sprinters and long-distance runners. To best prepare for the next soccer season, Downie joined the sprinting team. It wasn’t until long-distance Coach Kellie Redmond took notice of Downie and asked him to join the distance runners that he was able to excel. He was only a distance runner for around the second half of the spring season and still won most improved at the banquet. Downie said, “I felt happy in the moment, but still had my mind on winning bigger things.”
Downie works hard in his training sessions. His typical circuit includes 6-mile runs and mile repeats for VO2 max, or maximal oxygen consumption, training. Sometimes, the distance runners practice 400-meter and 800-meter runs for speed. Downie works hard outside of practice, too, putting in extra work on off days. He said, “Sundays, I do a 12-mile run for aerobic fitness.”
Downie has a diverse history of running races for the team. In his time as a sprinter he competed in the 100-meter and 200-meter events and later, after joining the distance team, focused more on the mile, 500-meter, and 800-meter races. Downie said, “My best event is the 800 meter.”
Running his way to the top, Downie has received a large number of accolades in his short amount of time on the track team. In addition to breaking the freshman record for the 800-meter race and qualifying for nationals, he’s won regional and county championships with the team, solidifying his place in school history. Downie said, “Qualifying for nationals after weeks of hard training felt rewarding and motivating.”
The team environment is positive. The school’s track team supports each other and there’s always a teammate standing at the line cheering a runner on. Redmond is knowledgeable as a coach, too. She knows how to adjust the intensity of a practice depending on the dates. Downie said, “Our team has good morale during training and we do well in races because of it. We all want each other to succeed, which is very important.”
Downie’s teammate, junior Rendon Yerman appreciates the rising sophomore. Yerman said, “He’s a very hard worker and always pushes us to do our best. He’s also fast and was an important part of our county and regional championship.”
Junior Ricky Gomez, another one of Downie’s teammates, enjoys running with him. Gomez said, “He’s an amazing person to spend time with when doing track and field.”
