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<strong>Colorado's Class of 2014 makes their decisions...</strong></p>
Marcel Such has enjoyed one of Colorado's best 2A high school careers ever, and the recruiting attention he got underscores that success. Colorado Track XC file photo.
Marcel Such's best marks:
1600 meters - 4:35.10 (at altitude)
3200 meters - 9:45.72 (at altitude)
5K cross country - 15:52.8
I know you had several schools under consideration. What made you decide for Western State?
This decision was a lot harder than I anticipated, as I had several great options. In terms of running, I was aiming to find a place with the kind of smart and dedicated coaches and great training environment that we are privileged to have at Lyons. As well, I have been studying birds since the age of six, and this very specific academic interest narrowed my search field immensely. In the end, it came down to University of Colorado-Boulder, Cornell University, and Western State. While Coach Wetmore has an unparalleled D1 distance program at CU-Boulder and Cornell is the premier destination for any student of ornithology, Western came out on top in terms of overall balance between academic, athletic, and financial considerations. Western has phenomenal places to train and an outstanding coaching staff, and I am looking forward to being part of their successful running tradition.
What's your planned course of study at WSCU?
My focus of study will be wildlife biology and ecology. I am specifically interested in field-based conservation biology, which is a strong suit of Western. The close working relationships that can be developed with Western’s professors, as well as Gunnison’s geographic location, lend itself to unique and excellent opportunities for fieldwork and research just minutes from campus.
Has Coach Michel at WSCU given you any indication where she thinks you might fit best, event-wise?
We have not discussed this in-depth yet, but my eventual goal is to be running the 5000 and 10,000, even if I start out running shorter distances. I have always been stronger and more comfortable in the longer races, and 25 laps on the track doesn’t scare me too badly. I might be interested in the steeplechase, but those barriers are truly terrifying. Right now, my hurdling skills over anything taller than 12” are rather comical.
Your high school career really started to take off after your sophomore year. Is there anything in particular you can point to that helped to produce that change?
There are a number of factors that contributed to my jump in performance. I first started running as a freshman, and in my eagerness to excel I had a tendency to push the limits of my training. I was constantly plagued with injuries, but eventually started working only as hard as my abilities allowed and discovered that listening to my coaches was actually in my best interest. As my junior year of cross country began, my performance level completely tanked despite a great summer of training. A blood test determined that I was dealing with a severe iron deficiency that shed light on the inconsistent nature of my entire running career thus far. I spent most of the season riding a bike, eating liver for breakfast, and learning the value of patience. Though my iron levels were still in the deficient range by season’s end, I was running faster than ever. Through that experience, I gained the tools to deal maturely with future setbacks. I have hit a few dips in the road since then, but on the whole I have found my groove and the keys to maintaining my health.
One of the advantages of running at Lyons is that there's no shortage of high school highlights to pick from--can you pick a favorite out of the crowd?
Honestly, perfect scoring at the state cross country meet last fall has definitely been my highlight up to this point. After chasing and not quite catching Paul for the entirety of the race, turning around in the chutes and seeing my younger brother, Joel, battling and beating Ben Butler to the line was the best part of the day.
Are there unconquered goals left for your final season of high school track?
I probably have more goals for this spring than I will be able to achieve within a single season. We would all like to set a new 2A all-time record in the 4x800 meter relay, so we will likely be spending more time in the shorter races than we have in the past. Otherwise, I am hoping to continue building on my success from cross country, staying healthy, and dropping some big PRs!
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One of the best things about trying to catch Marcel Such at a meet this spring is that you can go to big school meets and expect to see Lyons there. Aside from requisite league meets and the like, Lyons makes it a point to run with the big schools. And that should help that 4x800 record go down.
