Senior Ryan Widzgowski raced in the cross country NCAA National Championships on Saturday, November 23.
Fighting severe stomach cramps, Widzgowski finished the race in 262nd place, but he had already earned All-American honors for indoor and outdoor track.
As the only KSC runner to qualify, Widzgowski flew to nationals in Hanover, Indiana, with his coach two days before the race to familiarize himself with the course.
“I just try to treat each race like I’m trying to make nationals every time,” Widzgowski said of his season-long approach.
Making his accomplishment even more impressive is the fact that during his time at KSC, Widzgowski’s focus has always been on track, not cross country. For people who don’t see a difference, consider that the 8K course Widzgowski raced at nationals was roughly ten times the length of his preferred track event, the 800 meter.
Senior teammate Brett Mastrangelo understands the challenge of the transition.
File Photo / Chris Palermo
“It’s very different, being a good miler doesn’t mean you’re going to be a good cross country runner,” Mastrangelo said, “But he put in hard work over the summer and he made his skills translate.”
The difficulty of the transition was not lost on coach Peter Thomas either.
“It’s always hard,” Thomas said, “Especially for Ryan, who was a shorter-distance track runner.”
Luckily, the familiarity between coach and runner ultimately made that transition easier.
“We’ve worked together for four years, so it’s a long process but it takes trust,” Widzgowski said of his relationship with coach Thomas. “And just seeing what works for both of us and actually executing it on game day,” he said.
This season, that execution became routine for Widzgowski, something Thomas attributes to the runner’s work ethic.
“Ryan has worked tremendously hard to get to this point,” Thomas said.
“He’s got all the physical tools he needs to succeed.”
The coach also said that being prepared mentally is just as important as the physical. Widzgowski adds pressure to himself to stay focused. “I just show up every day and put in the best effort I can and set super high goals and high expectations for myself,” Widzgowski said.
That doesn’t mean cross country came easy for Widzgowski. He said he considered it much harder than track.
Mastrangelo said Widzgowski directed the team off the trails as well. With the men’s and women’s teams constantly training and racing together, conflicts and drama are more likely because the size of the team doubles.
“As far as being a teammate, he did a really good job leading the team this year,” Mastrangelo said.
“Ryan did a really good job leading us, keeping our heads straight and just making sure that we did the right things. He made sure we all focused on what we needed to do,” he added.
As an exercise science major, Widzgowski also understands the importance of training.
This season he was constantly pushing his team to spend time in the weight room and pool to work on their bodies. Coach Thomas is fond of saying that running is 30 percent physical and 70 percent mental.
Mastrangelo said Widzgowski’s confident approach to every race is really what sets him apart.
“He gave me confidence in myself, so I have no doubt he has plenty of confidence in himself,” Mastrangelo said. “I can’t imagine he limits himself and maybe he’s surprised with where he’s gotten but we’re not surprised. After watching him over the years, it feels like Ryan has no limits.” Confidence is key, but Widzgowski said consistency is also an important aspect of running. It appears this season he found both.
“Cross country is always difficult, I think it’s very hard,” Widzgowski said.
“I just always try to find that rhythm, and it worked last weekend [during NCAA regionals] but it’s a process. I’m very happy that it’s all worked out.”
Zach Winn can be contacted at zwinn@keene-equinox.com
