NORWICH – Steven Spittler aims to become Norwich’s first state qualifier in cross country in over a decade, and the determined high school junior has an excellent shot at reaching his goal based on his recent performances.
The leading runner on the NHS team, Spittler, 16, entered the Marine Corps Half Marathon in Albany on Oct. 7, and he came home with the top finish in his age group and placed third overall timing 1:17.40 (a 5:56/mile rate) over the 13-mile course.
To repeat, he was third out of 520 runners.
“I felt really strong and I wasn’t planning on running with an all-out effort,” Spittler said. “Being that it is cross country season and the day after a meet, I was really surprised I ran that well.”
Spittler’s entry into the race was in measure to support the effort of his father Bill, who was running his first-ever full-length marathon, the 25th Annual Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon. “It was really neat watching him train, and that gave me the idea to go,” Spittler said.
Although Spittler has run as far as 15 kilometers in a competitive setting – the Boilermaker in Utica, for instance – this is by far his longest racing distance. It isn’t, however, unusually long for Spittler, who typically runs anywhere from 40 to 70 miles a week depending on the time of year. Plus, his Sunday runs are in the 13- or 14-mile range. “I usually do a long run on Sundays,” he said. “It’s hard to get (70 miles) in during the cross country season.”
Norwich has four meets remaining this season, the STAC championships, and sectionals in early November. The winning overall team plus the top-five runners earn trips to the state meet. Spittler is presently sixth based on times recorded this season, just 26 seconds behind a qualifying spot. “Sectionals are my biggest focus,” Spittler said. “We have a meet (against the team with the number five kid). I’m going to try and stay with him.”