EL’s Sam Whittaker is The Day’s All-Area Runner of the Year in boys’ cross country
East Lyme junior Sam Whittaker won the ECC title, led the Vikings to a Class MM state crown
East Lyme High School coach Sam Harfenist spotted his cross country runners at the one-mile mark during the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship in October.
Contender Sam Whittaker sat farther back in the pack than the game plan called for at that stage of the 3.1-mile race at Norwich Golf Course. "It made us a little nervous," Harfenist said. Whittaker put his coach at ease, flashing a thumbs up. "He said, 'I got it,' when he went by," Harfenist said. "By the time we saw him at the two-mile marker, he was even. And you knew he was going to win just by the way he was moving."
By the two-mile mark, Whittaker moved into contention before eventually taking charge and becoming the first Viking to capture the individual title since 1992. He finished in 17 minutes, 12 seconds, outdistancing runner-up Zak King of Ledyard by five seconds, and also pacing East Lyme to the team title.
"The race went exactly how I hoped it would," Whittaker said. "It was great. I crossed the finish line and I was really happy."
For his outstanding efforts, Whittaker was named The Day's 2017 All-Area Boys' Cross Country Runner of the Year.
A focused and determined Whittaker followed and executed his plan, leading to a breakout fall season. The junior earned Class MM all-state honors in leading the Vikings to their first state championship since 1970.
"He had the intrinsic motivation to set goals that he wanted to achieve," Harfenist said. "He and I made sequential plans to achieve those goals. A lot of it came from inside him."
Harfenist added that Whittaker is "a very determined, hard-working kid," but also likes to have fun. Whittaker also is well-respected by his teammates. "Everyone looks up to him," Harfenist said. "He's a proper role model in how to do the preparation and training and obviously the race itself."
Whittaker's preparation started long before the first cross country race.
Motivated by the fact some of the top competition from the previous season graduated, Whittaker ramped up his offseason training and headed into the fall in terrific shape.
"I was really working hard in the summer," Whittaker said. "When I came into the season, I felt really good and felt I could accomplish a lot."
Whittaker gradually improved as the season progressed, building toward his winning performance in the ECC championship meet. As a sophomore, he placed 10th in the race.
"It showed that he really has it, because he had lost to several of those kids a year ago," Harfenist said.
The Class MM state championship at Wickham Park in Manchester was another shining moment for Whittaker and the Vikings. While running slower than he expected, Whittaker still took third overall in 17:12. East Lyme placed three runners in the top six, with Whittaker joined by teammates Ryan McCauley (fourth) and Chris Abbey (sixth), to finish first with 60 points.
"We worked hard for a win at ECC and MM," Whittaker said. "It was really special that we could win both."
Physically tired from a long season, Whittaker faded in the State Open, placing 64th in 17:23.
It was a learning experience for Whittaker, who's already planning to alter his training schedule for next cross country season to be better rested for the major meets. His goal is to win the class meet and run well enough in the State Open to qualify for the New England championship.
"I think the training needs to be fine-tuned a little bit to get me to the level that I want to be at," Whittaker said. "My coach knows exactly what to do. I just need to really keep in mind I can't go hard in the beginning because seasons are long and I get tired."
Whittaker hopes to run both track and cross country in college. He's interested in majoring in physical therapy. Running has been a major part of his life, more than he thought it would when first joining his father on runs around the neighborhood in third grade.
"My dad was a very fit person and he would always run around our neighborhood . ... He took me on runs. I didn't like it that much at first. Sometimes I would be crying during the runs. He would tell me to keep running." g.keefe@theday.com