Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: Evan Nosek, Kaneland, cross country, junior

Name: Evan Nosek

School: Kaneland, junior

Sport: Cross country

Why he was selected: Nosek won the Kane County boys cross country meet with a time of 15:25.9 on Aug 26. Nosek was voted Athlete of the Week by readers.

Here is his interview with Chronicle sports reporter Jake Bartelson.

Bartelson: Can you give me a sense of your summer workouts? Any major changes to the regimen and if so, why you did them?

Nosek: Unfortunately, I was injured for about the first half of last summer [in 2022]. So I cross-trained in the first half and then built my running back slowly during the second half of the summer. Thankfully, this year I’ve been blessed to have the whole summer injury-free and that really has made a difference for me this year compared to last.

Bartelson: You’re off to another strong start and have sustained the success basically your whole career. What was key to your first race finish?

Nosek: I believe the key to my success with this first race was my coaches’ smart training plans. They are a good mix of mileage, speed, hill work, cross-training and rest. Also, I have great support from my team, friends and family and that always helps a lot.

Bartelson: Obviously, the overall goal is to race quality times and finish well in each race, but are there any smaller, underlying ones you’re hoping to check off as the season progresses?

Nosek: As far as racing, I’d love to help our team win conference and do well in the state series and, of course, I’d love to build and bond with the team as we progress.

Bartelson: Who is a teammate or two ready to break out and be a strong racer that we all should be aware of?

Nosek: It would be hard to pick just one or two. There are quite a few talented and hardworking runners on our team and some freshmen that look promising. We missed qualifying for state as a team last year, so that has given us some extra drive this year, too.

Bartelson: Top pre or post race meal you can’t go without?

Nosek: My top pre race meal has got to be the classic almond butter and banana sandwich. My top post race meal is Chipotle.