Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

Men’s cross country runner makes history on team

Wissel earns several honors, has visions of going pro

After seven years of running long distance, earning titles such as Big 12 individual champion and college All American, Colby Wissel has a decision to make. Will he finish his senior year and start working, or pursue his love for running and turn professional?

By Peter Soto

Thursday, October 25th, 2007

Colby Wissel has had to sacrifice a great deal for his success, and he isn’t finished yet.

“I started running because I was good at it.” Wissel said. “Right now, I run every day. I rarely take a day off. I’m living the routine.”

Wissel, an Elm Creek, Neb., native, has been living the routine since he began running year round during his sophomore year of high school. His hard work paid off. In addition to becoming the 2006 Big 12 individual champion, Wissel was named a 2006 college All-American.

Wissel’s current success has been years in the making.

Race to success

As Colby grew up in Elm Creek, his father, Stan Wissel, gave him opportunities to excel in athletics by organizing fun runs at his elementary school. Later, Wissel would be coached by his father at Elm Creek high school where he was expected to play quarterback for the football team.

During his freshmen year Wissel excelled in football, basketball, baseball and track and field, but felt that his future in athletics depended on focusing on one sport. Wissel had to decide whether he would stay with is father in Elm Creek and play football or leave for nearby Kearney High School to pursue distance running. Elm Creek didn’t have the competitive cross country program that Kearney had. After much thought, Wissel left his father and football behind.

“I knew that if I wanted to do anything beyond high school, I would probably have to start focusing on running,” Wissle said. “The thing about me is that I didn’t want to be average in four sports. I wanted to be good at one sport, so I went in that direction and focused on running.”

At Kearney High School, Wissel’s name quickly became associated with distance running. He gained attention from Division I schools across the country. He won nine separate state championships and became a high school All American. From Georgia to Kansas, Wissel was a much sought after recruit.

“Before he became a dominant athlete in Nebraska, we had already known about him,” Assistant coach Doug Clark said. “His high school coach had contacted us about him before we could even start recruiting him.”

At the University of Kansas, Wissel would meet fellow distance runner Paul Hefferon, Overland Park senior. Together Wissel and Hefferon would become All Americans and quickly make their way up the Kansas distance-running record lists. Competing against each other on a daily basis caused them to work harder and longer than they ever had before. The reason being, if one of them relaxed in his training, the other would take over and become the dominant runner. Their friendly competition was more helpful than competitive.

“Having someone who is close to your level and developing at the same rate and taking the same journey, it helps both of us tremendously,” Hefferon said. “We help each other, especially during the difficult times in the race. If one of us is feeling stronger that day, then the other one can use that energy to help them have a better race.”

During their sophomore year, Wissel and Hefferon traded success back and fourth. Each week was a competition, not just with the rest of the field, but with each other, and the winner was different at each event. This continued until their junior year when Hefferon was sidelined by an injury. For weeks, he wasn’t allowed to train, and Wissel took the lead.

Even with all of his individual success, Wissel has stayed focused on helping his team be as productive as possible. Words of encouragement come easily from Wissel to his teammates.

“Hearing Colby say ‘I’ve seen you run, and I’ve worked out with you, and I know that you have this in you,’ that means a lot because sometimes, you kind of need affirmation from other people,” Hefferon said. “It just helps you come along, especially from someone who isn’t your coach.”

The Title Defense

It’s a cloudy, brisk day just outside the city of Lawrence and Colby Wissel is taking advantage of it. He has to. There is only one week left before he has to defend his title of Big 12 individual champion in Lubbock, Texas, at the Big 12 Cross Country Championship.

Outside of Lubbock, there is a billboard with a picture of Wissel running in last year’s Big 12 Championship race. Out of every male cross country runner in the Big 12 conference, Wissel was chosen because he was the best. He will see the billboard when he drives into Lubbock, but right now, it isn’t on his mind. Right now, he is focused on training and having fun with his teammates. He jokes more about the television series “The Office” than about his upcoming title defense. Teammates say that it’s that kind of laid back attitude that has made him one of the most well liked members of the men’s cross country team.

“He’s not a boastful or arrogant athlete, and that’s one of his strong suits because he could be,” Hefferon said.

Wissel is the current University record holder in the men’s 3,000 meters. He set that record during his junior year, and the coaching staff thought he had the potential to accomplish even more.

“I think the stage is set for him to elevate to be the best guy since Jim Ryun.” Clark said. “He could be one of the best runners since the ‘60s.”

Wissel estimates that there have been 30 days in the past year that he has not trained, and that the other 335 days have contained some sort of workout. He stayed at school to run during his fall and spring breaks and came back to Lawrence weeks before school was scheduled to begin during winter break. He doesn’t even remember the last time he had a vacation, but he probably spent a good part of that vacation running.

His Next Step

When he does get a chance to return to Elm Creek, Wissel can easily see how his decision to become a distance runner has changed the course of his life.

He spends time with his friends playing football or basketball. All the while, he thinks about what life might have been like if he had decided to play football rather than become a distance runner.

Even with all of the pressure and obligation, Wissel stays motivated.

“Day in and day out the motivation has to come from within you,” Wissel said. “I think that if I have that strong fire in me, that drive to be the best, that’s where my motivation comes from.”

Like most people, Wissel wishes he could see the future to know what life has in store for him. The directions his life could take are very different.

After he finishes his eligibility this year, he plans to stay with the team as a volunteer assistant coach while he finishes his accounting degree.

After that, he will have another decision to make. He’s thought about entering the working world using his degree, and he’s also thought about pursuing his love of distance running by becoming a professional, with a shoe company sponsoring him. He could end his obligation to run every day, or he could continue as he has for the past seven years. Either way, he has a decision to make.

“I’ve always felt, since the first day I coached him, that he could go on to the next level and run beyond college athletics,” Clark said. “I know he can do it physically, but he’ll have to decide to do it. It’s a great commitment emotionally and life style wise. He’ll have to live the life.”

Edited by Kaitlyn Syring

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