BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Both teams made strides founded on hard work and consistency. NCHS coach Tom Patten explains, “Like pretty much every cross country program, we try to bring together a combination of strength and distance training with shorter, speed training. There’s no magic; the harder they work at those two facets, the better they will be.” Likewise, West coach Chad Aubin states, “There are no magic workouts! It’s about consistency. We provide opportunities for athletes to stay consistent and ‘keep the ball rolling’ all year long. Athletes who buy into this mantra typically see success throughout their career.”

Normal Freshman Ali Ince takes this mindset to heart: “From my past experience with running, I have learned that practice should be harder than the meets. The pain and mileage should come in practice. That way, when it’s race time you know what to expect and know what you have to do. I am a hard-working and determined person who likes to set goals and accomplish them. I have a ton of energy all the time and am very optimistic.” That energy and sight on her goals led her to complete the three-mile Intercity course in 18 minutes, 34 seconds, leading the Lady Iron to their Intercity team title for the second year in a row.

Ali’s pre-race ritual stays as consistent as her training schedule. “Before every meet, I eat a banana, a piece of bacon, and a hard-boiled egg. Also, every night before a race, I take the time to write out what my mile splits should be and what I want my overall time to be,” she explains.

Meanwhile, Wildcat senior Grayson Talaski uses the power of music to prepare for his meets: “Before each race, I enjoy listening to a mix of different songs. Sometimes I’m in the mood for rap, while other days it’s calming music. Music allows me to calm down and funnel my emotions into the race.” In practice, Grayson tries to enjoy the runs. He explains, “I’ve learned that if I am not having fun running, then my results tend to suffer. Choosing to run simply because I enjoy doing it has elevated my performance far past my goals.”

Coach Patten feels fortunate to have maintained one of the largest cross country squads—the so-called “Distance Running Animals”—in Central Illinois over the years. According to Patten, “Part of that is the size of our school and part is the recruiting efforts of the kids already on the team. But I like to think that our emphasis on fun and self-improvement have helped. For a variety of reasons, we have really tried to improve the opportunities in individual meets and across the season for JV runners. That focus on the team as a whole, rather than just the top kids, is the legacy I hope to leave as a coach.”

Patten draws on decades of running experience. He ran cross country and track for ISU in the 1970s and has been coaching since the mid 1980s. For Patten, the sport runs in the family. He recounts, “I started running because my twin brother Den started running the year before. He led the way for me; he showed me I could do it too. We went on to run together at ISU and then coached together at NCHS until West opened in the mid-nineties. Den coached at West for 13 years. We have been back together again at NCHS ever since he left West.”

Across town at Normal West, Coach Aubin not only coaches the cross country team, he also coaches track and field and teaches P.E. “This is my 5th year as head coach at Normal West. I competed as a track and field athlete at Eastern Illinois University. I specialized in the 400m hurdles and the 800m. Prior to Normal West, I had great experiences coaching at Delavan High School and Illinois State University,” says Aubin.

Inspired by Tom Akers, his track coach at EIU, Aubin has modeled many of his approaches after Akers’. Aubin’s goal is to build positive relationships with each of his athletes. He wants them to feel that he’s dedicated to helping them reach their individual potential. According to Aubin, “We celebrate the success of all runners, regardless of their ability. I believe a positive team culture is the most important factor relating to continued success as a team. I hope that I leave a legacy as a coach who cared about his athletes and brought out the best in them.”

Grayson appreciates Coach Aubin’s flexibility and understanding: “He allows us to run on ‘feeling,’ which has greatly helped our team. Having a coach that will listen to his team’s feedback has created a positive environment that benefits every athlete.” That positivity and respect transfers between teammates as well. According to Grayson, “Even though we can be quite competitive, we still appreciate each other’s ability. While I am confident in my ability, I am equally assured that my teammates will give their best effort each race.”

Ali feels similarly about Coach Patten and the Normal Community coaching staff: “They always have a practice schedule that will get us ready for the meets. They also take the time to tell each individual athlete what they should strive for at practice and what their race strategy should be at the meets. They truly put a lot of time, effort, and heart into our team and establish a family-like atmosphere.”

As a newbie to the team, Ali was worried about fitting in at the beginning of the season. But she found the Iron cross country team to be accepting and open. She explains, “The returning runners are so kind and always included me in conversations and team get-togethers. I think what is special about cross country runners is that we support everyone no matter how fast they run because it takes a special person to want to run, just in general.”

Although Coach Patten feels his coaching philosophy might make him a bit of an “outlier,” it’s quite similar to Coach Aubin’s: “I have always believed that coaching is more of an art than a science. I’m interested in the numbers, but it’s more about the feel of things: how are the kids feeling today, how might the conditions be a factor today, what’s going on with these kids that might be affecting their performance—that kind of thing. The main goals have always been to make running fun (well, as fun as running can be!), to see every runner improve no matter where they started, and to foster a sense of community or family among the team members.”

Both Unit 5 coaches feel they have too many proud moments to pinpoint a favorite.

For Coach Patten: “In 2002, both our boys and girls won sectionals—the only time that has ever happened for NCHS. We also had a string in the early 2000s where our girls won Conference eight years in a row. A few years back, our boys ‘three-peated’ as Conference champs, aided by our current volunteer Assistant Coach, Austin Peters. That was pretty special too. Even looking back on individuals who excel, either against the competition or in relation to their own past performances, I’m proud of what our runners have achieved over the years.”

Standout memories for Coach Aubin “range from our boys’ team’s 2017 10th place finish at the IHSA State Finals to athletes who work all season to break 30 minutes for their three-mile race. And for the boys’ team this year, the Intercity Championships were very special. It was the team’s first Intercity championship since 2009, and has been a goal of this group for several years. It makes the moment extra special when you think back to how much work this group has put in over time.”

These Unit 5 high school cross country programs will continue to excel under the leadership of their coaches and with the commitment of their runners.

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