Teen distance runner Nathan Wadhwani is on his way to Toronto on Saturday, then he will be on to the IAAF World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine. He’s also likely on his way to an NCAA track scholarship, and, in general, the kid is on his way.
Wadhwani is the first athlete ever from Golden Ears Athletics to represent Canada on the international stage in track and field, as he has turned himself into one of the top 3,000m runners in the country in his age group. The youth championships will see the top athletes under 20 from around the globe compete, beginning next Wednesday.
If you don’t know him, you’ve probably seen him, as some weeks he runs 70 miles around the community for training. He’s usually running with his brother Isaac, who is 18 months younger and only several seconds less impressive than his big brother.
For these guys, a so-called recovery run is five miles (They measure their progress in miles, rather than kilometers).
They run “everywhere,” but a popular route for the pair is over the Golden Ears Bridge and back. On days when one would rather stay inside and watch Big Bang Theory, it’s good to have a brother to cajole him into his runners.
“It definitely helps having both of us training together,” Nathan said. “We get out the door, and just go.”
Nathan likes the challenge of competition – getting his times lower, and ever closer to the highest standards. It’s a mindset that started right away. When he was nine years old, in his first year of track, he achieved placement on the B.C. Athletics “all-time Top 10 fastest times” list in the 1,500m. He still holds down eighth spot for a time of 5:25.50 at the age of nine. He and his fleet-footed friends have been looking at times and records ever since.
“I wouldn’t be doing it if I wasn’t enjoying it,” said Nathan. “Some days it’s tough, but the rewards are worth it.”
“It’s a long-term process, and it’s not something you can’t just turn on,” said his coach and father Vid.
The boys wear devices which measure the distance they cover, their pacing and their heart rate. That way, Vid can make sure they’re not jogging, but running.
To say they train hard is an understatement. Training on the track at Maple Ridge Secondary, it’s not unusual for one or the other to need a brief ‘barf’ break.
“That’s what happens when you train hard,” shrugs Nathan.
And lately, he’s been hitting his stride.
Nathan’s successes include a B.C. Summer games bronze medal in the 2,000m in 2010. In 2011 he was chosen to represent Team BC at the Legion Track and Field Games in Ottawa. He was a bronze medalist in the 2,000m and silver in the 1,500m steeplechase.
In the 2012 fall season for cross-country he placed fifth at the Nike Pre-Nationals in Oregon, racing against some of the top U.S. athletes. He also finished fifth in the B.C. High School Cross Country Championships in Prince George.
Most recently he had the run of his life in the 3,000m at the B.C. High School Track and Field Provincial Championships in Langley. He led the race from start and was narrowly edged out by Grade 12 Ben Weir, placing him in second spot by only 4/100 of a second.
That race helped him to achieve the time of 8:35.91 needed to place in the top three for rankings in Canada, and to qualify him for the spot on the World Youth Team.
Isaac competed as a Grade 9 last year, and at the B.C. High School championships he won the 1,500m event, and took third in the 800m. Vid said Issac’s training and performances twin those of his older brother at the same age.
The rewards are indeed coming – the competition in the Ukraine will be Nathan’s first-ever trip overseas.
Another reward will likely be a scholarship to an American university, to run on a cross-country team. Nathan’s times are already fast enough, with a year of training to come. His father Vid points out that right now Nathan would be ranked among the Top 10 Grade 11 students in America. Nathan also has a A/B average academically, so right now it looks like a full ride could be in the offing. He plans to study business, but has Grade 12 to complete first.
Schools haven’t been able to contact him yet, but he’s expecting they will in his grad year. He would love to get an offer from a school in the Golden Sate.
“California would be really good,” he says with a smile.
The ultimate goal – the summer Games in 2020, which will likely be in Tokyo, Madrid or some new Olympic city.
“Obviously, Olympics is the dream.”
It doesn’t sound hopeful or naive from someone who is already representing his country on the world stage.
Next up, he will be working toward the Canadian championships, which will be held in Langley on Aug. 9.
“I’m really proud of everything that’s come this season,” he said. “It took a lot of work.”