Injuries don’t stop UW runner

by Steve Horn

Thursday, September 25, 2008 00:00

University of Wisconsin cross country runner Ryan Craven epitomizes the grit, determination and passion of a true long-distance runner.

While the redshirt sophomore’s first few seasons as a member of the Badgers have flown by largely under the radar, the hard work he has put in has begun to pay huge dividends. Craven is hungry to make a major impact on this year’s team, which is ranked No. 6 nationally and No. 2 in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason rankings.

Entering his freshman year as a member of the UW cross country and track teams, Craven’s accolades were undeniable: a third-place finish at the country’s most prestigious high school cross country race, the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships, in 2005; a second-place finish at the 2005 Illinois State Cross Country Meet; a fourth-place finish at the 2004 state cross country championships — the list goes on and on. The sky was the limit coming into his freshman year at Wisconsin.

Eventually, though, the sad reality of life as a distance runner set in for Craven during his senior season of track in high school. The hard training he had put in took a toll on his body, and he suffered the consequences of constant nagging injuries.

“Training was brutal,” Craven said. “My whole first year I was injured more than I was healthy and as a result, I didn’t get to train much.”

Those injuries would eventually lead Craven to decide to redshirt his entire freshman year, which would be his wisest decision as it would allow him to acclimate to the training and get used to the rigors of being an NCAA Division I runner on a perennial national championship contender.

After taking extended time off for the first time in his running career, Craven entered his freshman season of NCAA eligibility excited. Yet, Craven was still unsure of himself and his ability to prepare his body for the hell that is NCAA cross country and track at its highest levels.

“I still didn’t know how to train at level and I was way in over my head. The whole process has been such a huge learning experience,” Craven said.

As a result, Craven spent most of his second year as a runner on the B-team, or the non-traveling squad, training hard on a daily basis but frustrated at his body’s inability to progress to the next level.

“Not being part of the A-team was tough to swallow at first. I put in a lot of effort and to have it not pan out is tough,” Craven said. “At the same time, I was very supportive of the rest of the team. It really is bittersweet. In the back of my mind, I knew that I could be up there doing the same thing.”

But Craven, who now has sophomore standing, has turned the corner.

“[The fact that] Ryan is older and stronger [makes a huge difference]. Ryan has been brought along slowly, with the intention to help the team now and contribute big time. He has the potential to be a member of our team’s top nine for the Big Ten championships, and in the top seven for both regionals and nationals,” said new men’s cross country coach Mick Byrne. “He has come into this season in tremendous shape and put in the hard work this offseason. It’s now up to him to put the hard work to good use. From what I’ve seen, he is ready to do that. The more guys we have pushing for top five spots, the better for our team.”

After being at the bottom of the team’s pecking order for the majority of his first couple seasons, Craven is happy with the pleasant changing of the guard.

“I’m just excited to be part of the clan. It has been two years of a lot of frustration. I want to get out there and prove that I can run [fast],” Craven said. “Our team is looking solid, and I think that the team can do great things and I’m excited to be part of it,”

Regardless of how this season goes, Craven has proven that his name is mention-worthy and belongs in the same sentence with the Badgers’ top runners. With three seasons of cross country and track eligibility remaining, watch out for Craven’s name alongside upper-echelon NCAA runners nationwide.  Craven has worked too hard to get to where he is today to have it any other way.