INPERSON
One to Watch
Brett Kroboth finishes fifth in the state in the PIAA Cross Country Championships .
BY PAMELA PALONGUE
Brett Kroboth finished fifth in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association ( PIAA ) Championships in cross country . This is an amazing feat for anyone , but Brett accomplished this while still a junior in high school !
The 17-year-old Peters Township student is an extremely focused athlete who makes a plan and knows how to follow through . Having such extraordinary self-discipline at such a young age is unusual to say the least .
His father , John , says , “ We really just try to be supportive [ in his goals ] but mostly we just try to stay out of his way .”
Brett ’ s coach , Tim Wu , is equally impressed with the young man ’ s maturity level in his training .
“ He ’ s a super hard trainer . He runs well when it counts . Once he has a strategy for a race , he ’ ll execute it and capitalize on it ,” he explains . “ Once in a while you have a bad race , but Brett learns from those . He ’ s become a lot wiser .”
One learning experience came when he didn ’ t eat before the WPIAL Championships . He ran well , with a 4th place finish , but was not 100 percent . He now brings a cooler with drinks and sustenance .
Brett ’ s mom , Lorri , recognized early on that he needed better nutrition to run his best race . She consulted a friend who is a nutritionist , and they came up with some good options for him to get more protein . She gets up every morning and makes him eggs to try to provide plenty of fuel for his heightened activity level . She has also encouraged him to hydrate properly , which is especially important in hot , humid weather .
Mentoring has also contributed to Brett ’ s success . Wu had suggested that the track team reach out to alumni to learn more about strategies for running and tips to improve times and stamina . Brett took the advice to heart .
One person he reached out to was Zack Marmol , a senior runner when Brett was a freshman . Marmol readily agreed to help with Brett ’ s training . “ We did a lot of good workouts together ,” Brett recalls . “ We would do long cross country runs and track workouts .” Marmol , who ’ s now a member of the track team at Temple University , is still a good friend . “ We still run together when he ’ s home for the holidays . I stay in touch with him every day .”
Brett ’ s dad is also grateful for the help , adding , “ What a great mentor and friend Zack has been .”
Another helpful mentor has been Nick Wolk , a legend in Peters Township Track who finished fourth in the state in cross country as a senior in 2015 , and later ran for the University of Pittsburgh . Brett has only recently begun to train with him , but he has previously helped Brett to strategize his races and become a better runner .
Brett has already shown signs of being a leader himself . He was a team captain as a junior and , according to Wu , can often be seen encouraging his teammates .
For his senior year at Peters , Brett wants to improve his standing at the state level and is hoping for a top-three finish in cross country . He ’ d love to qualify for the USATF Nationals in San Diego . And beyond that , he is hoping to run track in college . The Kroboths are a Penn State family , with Lorri , John and their older son , Kyle , all having attended . But Brett ’ s parents are open-minded about his possibilities for college , which could include a North Carolina school . One thing is certain : he will likely approach his decision with the same mental preparedness he brings to strategizing a race . He ’ s definitely one to watch . n
34 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE ❘ icmags . com