Like most observers of the sport, I was blown away by the rapid rise of Craig Engels, who burst onto the Forsyth County scene in the spring of 2010 with a 4:37 mile in his first running season (he says he did the high jump for a while, but I have no record of that). That fall, in his first cross country season, he ran 16:01 and established himself as an individual contender at some point in the future. Last winter, after slightly over a year of running, Craig won the 4A state championship in the 1000 meters, and in the spring he went on to run 4:15 and 9:22. Most of you know how well he ran this fall, although I get the sense that we may not have seen his best (not through lack of effort, mind you, but due to the circumstances of the races he has run). Based on his 9:03.2 for 3200 last Friday night, I'd say there are some really amazing things yet to come this winter and spring.
One of the best parts of this job is getting to know athletes, if only a little bit, and seeing the wide range of personalities among successful runners. Craig is fun to talk to and seems to genuinely enjoy life, not just running. Coach Chris Catton says, "Craig is the most charismatic person that I have ever met. He is never in a bad mood and that makes every workout, every run, and every meet enjoyable. He has done more for his himself, his team, and his coach than he knows with his approach to the sport." Underneath his pleasant (and somewhat goofy) exterior, however, there is an extremely determined core that drove him through all the hard summer work required of a successful cross country runner. And that hair! Craig is destined for political office or a CEO position with gifted follicles like those. Enjoy it while it lasts, Craig.
