Sports

Josh Wolfe ’04 Ranks Among Top US High School Distance Runners

While the rest of the Andover track team endures life in the Cage, Canadian sensation Josh Wolfe ’04 has been training on his own. With the help of a McGill University coach from Montreal, Wolfe was eager to avoid the common injuries that are associated with indoor track and stay in top racing form. “I’ve had some bad luck in the past with (indoor track),” he said, ”I opted not to run with the team here so I could avoid racing too much.” Indeed, Wolfe’s efforts have paid off. A couple weeks ago he traveled back to Montreal to race in a Canadian University contest at McGill. His training took place outside for the most part, so he was unfamiliar with his times on the track. Wolfe jumped into the 1000-meter race, unsure of what to expect in terms of split times. From the opening gun he ran hard, fighting through a tough race. The high tensions between the competitive runners resulted in a lot of pushing and shoving. The opposition took a very fast start, but Wolfe pulled through in the long run. He came through the last 200 meters in perfect form, crossing the line in 2:29. He commented, “I was pretty happy with the race because it felt so fluid and easygoing.” Wolfe did not find out until later that he obtained second fastest time in the United States for the 1000-meter run. This past Saturday, Wolfe took his golden legs to the Boston University FasTrack Invitational. He faced a huge challenge racing against some of the top college runners around. Wolfe ran the 800 meters at the Invitational, his second race of the season. Though he had some trouble off the start, winding up in last place as the group rounded the 100-meter mark, his poor position wouldn’t last. He quickly picked up the pace and took the lead through the second lap, running a blazing 53 seconds through 400 meters. However, there was more trouble to come. In his second lap a runner accidentally pushed and stepped on him in an attempt to pass. Then, as he rounded the last 100 meters of the race, opposing runners boxed him in. Wolfe used his smart racing instincts and decided to sit behind them; an attempt to pass would result in a greater loss of time. Even with other runners holding him back, he finished the 800-meter race in 1:54. Wolfe placed 13th overall in the field of college runners. Afterwards he commented, “I was pretty happy with it, but I know I could have gone faster. I’ll be running it again this weekend at Harvard with the hopes of getting better, and just running smarter.” Andover plans to enter in a Distance Medley relay at Sunday in the USATF meet at Harvard. The Distance Medley progresses from a 400m leg to a 800m leg, then to a 1200m leg, and finishes with a 1600m leg. Wolfe will anchor the relay, after receiving the handoff from Chris Donais ’05. Indeed, Wolfe’s decision to train alone with the help of his coach seems to have paid off. Looking forward to the end of the winter season, he is anxious to drop his times even lower. Wolfe is set to run outdoor track this sprin and plans to specialize in the 800 meters. Chances are, Wolfe will be called onto compete in the 3000 meters and 1500 meters, as well possibily the 4 x 400 meters relay at Spring Interschols. Next year, Wolfe plans to run track at Princeton University. After his recent accomplishments, he certainly looks more than ready for the challenge.