Some may view senior Evan Nosek as naturally gifted. It could be because he is in the top three in school history in both the 1600-meter and 3200-meter track races, or maybe because he has the second best three-mile time for cross country in Kaneland history. However, to hear about these accomplishments and then label him as just naturally gifted is a false representation of who he is. You won’t hear people talking about how he woke up in elementary and middle school at 5:00 in the morning to swim laps and lift weights, or the stretching and strength training core work he constantly does during the offseason.
“I saw in Evan the thing you can’t teach,” said Scott Kurth, a coach Nosek works with during the offseason. “That thing inside that separates athletes. The willingness to sacrifice to do anything.”
Nosek has consistently run long distances since he was in third grade. He started by joining a running club called the Batavia Accelerators, which Kurth founded in 2001. Along with joining the club, Nosek started to run because he admired his older brothers, sister and mother for their dedication to the sport.
“When he arrived at the high school level, he didn’t let off of the accelerator,” head boys cross country and track assistant coach Chad Clarey said. “He quickly surged to the front of our pack, running to the top of the conference as the individual champion of the Interstate 8 conference cross country meet as a ninth grader.”
Along with the competitive nature of the sport, he was specifically attracted to the exciting aspects of competitive running.
“You get to run long distances, talk to your friends, share experiences and get to know them a lot better,” Nosek said. “Then there’s also the adventure aspect of it, like running through the woods and exploring new places.”
Along with being able to explore, Nosek says running works as a natural stress reliever.
“Running is like meditation. You get a lot of time by yourself,” Nosek said. “It’s a stress reliever, so it’s good because you get to start off the day good or end the day good.”
Nosek explored many different sports, but nothing genuinely resonated with him before running. He was also drawn to long-distance running because it only requires the physical aspect of hard work and less coordination than other sports.
Nosek competes in both cross country and track. He is the youngest of four siblings, who are all runners. His mother was also a State-qualifying runner in both cross country and track.
Nosek explained that his brother Henry showed him that running does not always have to be so serious; you can make jokes and still have fun along the way.
“A lot of people think distance running is very hard and not fun at all,” Nosek said. “Some people think it’s always so serious. But we do have a lot of fun and goof around still.”
While he knows how to have fun, he is an incredibly focused and disciplined athlete. Kurth recalled that when Nosek was in middle school, they were training for a triathlon together.
“Evan would get up at 5:00 in the morning and swim laps and lift weights,” Kurth said. “He wanted to do anything to get better.”
Clarey explained that his attention to detail for things besides training, like his recovery and diet, is also highly disciplined.
“Nosek eats better than any high school student I know,” Clarey said. “He is meticulous about the fuels he puts in his body. He doesn’t cheat on junk food.”
Kurth has been one of Nosek’s biggest role models in his life, and he has looked up to him even outside of running.
“[Kurth] has been a huge motivator in my life,” Nosek said. “He’s brought me to my potential in every way possible.”
Kurth says that since he started working with Nosek, he has seen him grow as a person.
“He’s learned to be a leader,” Kurth said. “He’s learned to sacrifice himself for others.”
While most of Nosek’s time consists of running and school, he spends his free time in various ways. He enjoys going out and thrifting for clothes with friends or playing other sports, such as spikeball and frisbee golf.
“I like to do anything that involves adventure, like vacation, hiking and camping,” Nosek said.
Some of Nosek’s best friends are those he has run with. He says the team always gets along great.
“It’s hard losing seniors each year because my running friends are some of my best friends,” Nosek said. “The bonding on the team is great. I couldn’t ask for a better team; it brings out the best in the sport.”
The cross country team has many unique ways of bonding with each other. One of those ways is their frequent pasta parties. These are essentially team dinners at a teammate’s house on the Friday before their meets on Saturday. They eat pasta, hang out together and sometimes play other sports like spikeball or basketball.
While Nosek’s future in running has yet to be determined, he and his coaches have set some goals. Some of these include competing at the Division 1 level, qualifying for cross country Nationals and finding a good coach in college.
“We haven’t seen the best of him yet,” Kurth said. “I think the next five years, as he becomes a young man, we could see him participate in the Olympic trials.”
Based on Nosek’s discipline and work ethic, Kurth believes Nosek is capable of competing with the best runners in the world.
“He has what it takes to make it to the next level. I think it’s because he’s the youngest of the family. He’s always trying to prove things,” Kurth said. “This is how Evan’s mind works. [He] can do anything.”
For now, though, Evan is focused on the Illinois State cross country meet, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, in Peoria. His goal is to help his team place in the top three 2A teams in the state.
