On Wings of Faith Zach Wills Rises to National Stardom
There is a saying, where much is given, much is expected. For Zach Wills this saying means more than simply acheiving ones potential but rather apply's to all aspects of life. A close knit family with a strong foundation on faith has helped guide the gifted Wills to the top of the national rankings for over 3 consecutive months. (Sweet 16 National Rankings)
Zach Wills began running as a soccer player throughout his youth and then turned sprinter. Trying out for track for the first time as a 7th grader Zach thought he would be a fine sprinter but then fate and perhaps destiny intervened. One of the distance athletes on the
team had gotten sick and the coaches asked Zach to run the mile. The outcome of that one mile would open one coaches eyes to the possibilities within a youngman and a young man's eyes to the windows of opportunity that lay before him. "In Middle school I started out as a sprinter because I was still highly involved in soccer so my 7th grade track season was the first time I had ever ran track. One of the distance runners was sick so they thought it would be a good idea to put me in the mile to see how I would run. I ended up winning the race but I ran with the absolute worst tactics ever. I ran it like a fartlek and would sprint the straight and jog the curves and looked back about every 20 meters to make sure no one was going to pass me. The school record was a 4:30 so I wanted to set the school record, I didnt know if that was hard to do or not, but I just went for it and got it. (a 7th grader breaks the school record 4:30!) Then 8th grade year I went to a small school with only 8 kids on the track team and ran my first mile race in 4:24 but I got a major impact injury in soccer during the first of the season and couldn't compete the remainder of the season."
Tom Rapp first entered Zach's life during that 7th grade track season. He has served as mentor and an inspiration for Zach to achieve even greater heights. Believing in low mileage workouts and effective training Wills has been blessed with a program that has left him with fresh legs and an untapped future ahead of him. "I first meet Coach Tom Rapp when I was in 7th grade at a track meet. He came out to see me run in a middle school race. I'll never forget how special I felt that this highschool coach came out just to watch me. Ever since then Coach Rapp has been a huge part of my success. He looks out for my best interest and goes to all measures to find the most successful program for each and every top athlete on our team. His ability to individualize and do not only what's best for each athlete now, but to prepare us for the next level. I wouldn't be anywhere close to where I am without the coaches I've had along the way. I've been blessed with tremendous coaches in Coach Rapp and Coach Travis Murray. They both have had experience at the top level and are doing everything to make me the best runner I can be down the road, rather than over-running me for their own recognition and self benefit."
This season Zach has already opened eyes within Ohio and nationally. Ohio is a state rich with cross country tradition and has a slew of legendary distance runners that serve as standards of excellence. Bob Kennedy, Bob Mau, Alan Sharsu to name a few. Foot Locker, Collegiate, and American champions have traversed the trails of the Ohio River Valley. Zach Wills is no exception to this list as he has blazed a trail that is becoming more and more as storied as those legends that came before. To put what Wills has already accomplished into perspective, as a sophomore, Wills ran a 8:18 3K, 3:56.77 1500m, 8:55.18 two-mile #2 all-time soph, and a 15:02 5K. Times one would expect from seniors, Wills entered his Junior year with the eyes of a nation set squarely on him. "Just being mentioned in the same sentence as those guys is very humbling and at the same time it challanges me. I am honored and happy with my success but I realize that I have been given a gift and that I need to not only race others around me, but myself. I need to push myself and do all the small things that set one aside and try to be the best athlete possible. Its an honor and a great feat to go sub 15 and follow such a great line of athletes in Ohio. My coach was coached by Bob Schul in highschool and has learned a lot from another great ohio runner. It pumps me up and makes me want to prove that I belong with those guys."
When asking Zach what his favorite training run he exclaimed, "My favorite training run is a modified Steve Prefontaine workout. It's a great team workout in which all of the guys get to push ourseleves. We all start out together running 200s and 400s, Steve went 40-30s, and we switch leaders each lap and almost make it a fartlek run. As the run goes on I break off from the group and start cranking faster times and end the workout with 30-40 all consective laps. It really simulates a race and you just get those chills and you can visualize yourself just beating the competition while doing it. It's one of those workouts that just makes you tougher mentally and physically."
This season has been no exception as Wills opened with a 15:17 at the Mason Invitational and then backed that up with a US#1 14:54.8 at the Culver Academies Invitaitonal. In his own words Zach describes how this season has gone thus far for him. "Thus far my season has had been great. Ever since NON I have been a different athlete. Before then I was almost star struck by all those top runners and didnt really see myself as being able to race them. Then being able to run that well and beat all those high class runners really made me believe that I do belong with those guys, that I can compete with them and that the bigger the race and the more guys around me the better I compete usually. The race with Futsum was a good experience. It boosted up my confidence a lot. I think I threw him really off guard by taking the lead from the start. I knew that he liked to sit and kick so I needed to grind him out to get the victory. My favorite race though by far was my home course though. Its one of the few "real" cross country courses I get to race all season long. Its set up a lot like the NXN course in Portland. There are three sets of hay bales, a creek jump in which you have to take at least three strides to get through it, and our notoriously steep hill that follows called "Mulch hill" where kids have literally fallen or walked up it... As of right now anything is possible, pending on injury. I will definitely be attending Nike Midwest Regionals this fall with my teammates and hopefully get a bid to go to nationals, from there I will decide if I can double or not and go to both NON and Footlocker, baring injury and qualifying for both events which is never easy in the Midwest. It is very tough competition at our regionals for both of these races."
The foundation of Zach's life are his parents and his faith. A deeply spiritual and God-centered family, the Wills have rallied around Zach and have been his most valiant supporters. Keeping it simple and staying focused on whats most important seem to be recipes for success in the Wills home. "Faith plays a major role in my running and my everyday life. It's almost creepy how close my running and my faith collide. It wasn't until I was in 8th grade, when I started running full time, that I became a Christian. God was always there for me but I was doing other stuff and not paying attention to Him, but then he revealed that he had better plans for me and since then I've really grown in my faith as my running has progressed. I believe God gave me my ability to run to be a platform to speak to others. So I try to be a shinning light every time I step onto the track or the cross and live for God and show good sportsmanship and give Him the glory for all my accomplishments. Without him I would not even be here today and everyday is a reminder of how great He truly is."
Zach Wills is a marvel of a young man with a tremendous opportunity before him. They say, good things happen to good people, this would seem to ring true as Zach Wills is setting the standard nationally and individually. Not your average junior he embarks on a possible Ohio State Championship repeat and possible NXN and Foot Locker Championships. However, after the communications we have had with Zach we know that accolades and individual awards do not define him, he is a young man rooted with a calling and in faith. He leads by example and as fitting as cross country is to life, Zach Wills is currently the leader of the pack.
(Photos courtesy of the Wills family)