Zayden Janzen and Josh Smith enter the cross country season with similar goals: improve individually, build on Marion’s success and help the Warriors return to the state championship.
For Janzen, the upcoming season is about more than times and places. The Marion runner is excited about helping create a team culture built around hard work while still enjoying the experience.
“I am most excited for the experience of trying to help build a team that has a great work ethic, but still finds the fun in such a difficult sport,” Janzen said.
Janzen said he particularly enjoys the camaraderie among Marion’s runners, especially during the team’s longer runs.
“My favorite runs are the long slow ones in the country,” he said. “The blown speakers in the vehicles on the way out are always entertaining.”
That team chemistry helped Marion capture a Class 2A regional championship last season, a performance Janzen believes was partly the result of the team’s commitment to training in difficult conditions.
A small winter running program, started by Janzen and a few friends several years ago, has continued to provide an opportunity for runners to stay active during the offseason.
“I believe running in the winter helped us to win our regionals last year in the cold and muddy conditions,” Janzen said.
Janzen finished last season with an 18:29 5K and placed sixth at regionals. Marion’s 4×800-meter relay also qualified for the state meet.
This season, Janzen is focused on improving his consistency and mindset during races. He has worked on maintaining a positive outlook while developing a more consistent pace.
“During the offseason I did a lot of threshold runs, and during the season we have done a lot of mile repeats in order to remedy this,” Janzen said.
His individual goal is to break into the 17-minute range and qualify for state. As a team, he hopes every Marion runner can break 20 minutes and help the Warriors return to the state meet.
Smith shares that team-first approach.
“Building on last year’s success to push our team to the highest,” Smith said of what he is most excited about. He also looks forward to “running against top-tier athletes at meets.”
Smith spent the summer building his endurance by gradually increasing his weekly mileage. He incorporated long runs to improve his stamina and tempo workouts to become more comfortable with his race pace.
His primary focus this season is improving his pacing in the middle portion of races and developing the mental toughness necessary to handle the difficult second mile.
Smith used split workouts during the summer to prepare for that challenge and develop stronger finishes.
After posting a personal-best 19:32 5K last season as part of Marion’s Class 2A regional championship team, Smith has set his sights on breaking the 19-minute barrier this season.
More importantly, he wants to help Marion return to the state championship meet.
With Janzen and Smith leading a group that already knows what it takes to compete for a regional championship, the Warriors hope their offseason work and team chemistry can translate into another successful season.
To nominate someone for a story email [email protected]
