When the gun sounded at Hershey this past Saturday, there were probably not many fans or fellow racers would could have picked District 11 champion Colin Abert out of a crowd. So he made it easy on them. Abert charged to the front as just a sophomore against a field of the best runners in the state and made a big statement, leading the group by nearly 10 seconds at the mile mark.
Abert, a sophomore from Easton Area, finished 125th at states last year as a freshman. A performance he was determined to overcome this season. He dominated the D11 field the week before in a very quick time for the course, a performance overshadowed by state champion Brendan Shearn roughly a half hour before. After a confidence building performance like that, Abert was ready to run with the best in the state.
After last year's experience, Abert knew the course narrowed quickly and in order to mix it up for a medal he had to use his front running style and get out hard at the start of the race. Abert knew the difficulty of the course, calling it "the hardest course in Pennsylvania", but that did not deter him from testing his limits on the first mile. "I think getting out fast in the beginning is what helped me to finish the way I did," Abert said. "It was a great feeling to be out in front going past the mile mark."
After his surprisingly quick opening mile, Abert continued to surprise spectators as he hung around with the leaders for a solid portion of the race, ran the hills well and kicked his way past the likes of guys like Conner Quinn and Sam Webb in order to finish in 12th place overall, the top sophomore in the field. Abert ran the hills exceptionally well, especially considering his opening mile. He was one of the fastest runners up poop out at the end of the race. It is especially impressive considering Abert claimed his main weakness last season was always hills. A summer filled with hill after hill has changed that, he know counts hill running as one of his biggest strengths.
Looking forward, Abert now feels his goal of state champion is within reach. Abert also hopes to continue to improve on the state course, he wants to be under 16 minutes next year. Finally, Abert is hoping to improve in a manner similar to the state course at the Footlocker Regional meet and compete for a spot at Footlocker Nationals in San Diego.
He has the guts and the determination to make these dreams come true. One thing is for sure, a lot more people can pick Colin Abert out of a crowd.
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