LF_062118

LakeForestLeader.com SPORTS
the lake forest leader | June 21, 2018 | 31
Lake Bluff ’s Schmitt finishes 22nd for Team USATF in Italy
Brittany Kapa, Sports Editor
Nate Schmitt’s summer
goals aren’t to lay on
the beach and get a tan or
spend some quality time
with his friends.
No, the rising Lake Forest
High School junior is
making the most out of his
summer break by competing
for Team USA Track
and Field.
Schmitt competed in
the 2018 World Mountain
Running Association’s
Mountain Running International
U18 Youth Cup
Saturday, June 16 in Lanzada,
Italy. He and three
other male runners from
across the United States
helped the U18 team finish
seventh of 14 teams
and individually Schmitt
placed 22nd in a pool of
50 runners.
Schmitt, who ran both
cross-country and track
for the Scouts, found out
about the opportunity from
an old coach.
Andrew Simmons, a
coach at Peak Performance
Running in Colorado, encouraged
Schmitt to apply
for the U.S. team.
Schmitt couldn’t contain
his excitement when
he found out he made the
team.
“I’m extremely excited
to be a part of this program
and this team,” Schmitt
said of his first Team USA
experience.
The 4.3-kilometer
course will be a two-lap
route on a single track
mountain path with steep
ascents and fast descents
including dirt road and
grass, with a very small
section of asphalt, according
to a press release issued
by the American Trail
Running Association.
Schmitt’s personal best
before leaving for Italy, for
a 5-kilometer time, was 15
minutes, 21 seconds and
was the fastest of Team
USATF. He finished the
race in 22:25.
Unlike his other teammates,
Schmitt is one of
the few members of the
team that is from a sealevel
community. Because
of this, Schmitt has had to
get creative with his training.
Schmitt, who used to
live in Colorado, took
a few trips back to the
state to train for the highaltitude
he experienced in
Italy.
The race course varied
in elevation from 3,000- to
4,000-feet high.
“I went up to 9,000-
10,000-feet (in Colorado),”
Schmitt said. “So
it’s not going to be quite as
bad as Colorado but it was
great training.”
At home in Lake Bluff,
Schmitt frequented the
bluffs at both the Lake
Bluff and Lake Forest
beaches. He ran off path to
train his body for the complex
Italian terrain.
“The terrain is going to
be very difficult,” Schmitt
said. “It’s going to be very
steep uphill and very steep
downhill on more or less
a hiking trail. There are
going to be spots where
I’m really going to have
to watch my footing just
to make sure that I don’t
break an ankle.”
Other things in the forefront
of Schmitt’s mind
are important runners
techniques like breathing,
pacing and staying calm
during the run. Schmitt
hoped that all of his training
would pay off during
the race.
“It was a lot of really
tough training to try and
keep my body in the best
shape possible after track
so I could jump right back
into training for this,” he
said.
Schmitt had done mountain
running training before,
but it was never for
competition.
Schmitt and his family
left for Italy June 12 and
Scmitt had a few extra
days of training built in
before the race.
Before leaving, he was
optimistic about his chances
of having a good finishing
time.
“I’m a little scared but
I’m also a little excited to
see where it goes,” he said.
“I feel like I will be able to
do well but I guess I won’t
really know until I run it.”
Lake Bluff resident
Nathan Schmitt poses for
a photo in his Team USA
running gear prior to the
2018 WMRA Mountain
Running International U18
Youth Cup in Lanzada,
Italy. PHOTO Submitted
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