School: Council Rock North
Cross Country, Track
Favorite athlete: Usain Bolt
Favorite team: Any Philly local team
Favorite memory competing in sports: Freshman Race at DeSales – my first high school race I came in first
Most embarrassing/funniest moment competing in sports: Scoring a goal in soccer…(for the other team)…back in fifth or sixth grade.
Music on iPod: Eazy E, Eminem, Drake, Lil Wayne
Future plans: Run in college
Words to live by: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” Steve Prefontaine
One goal before turning 30: Break 4 minutes 5 seconds in the mile
By Alex Frazier
Run, run, run.
And run some more.
That’s been Chris Campbell’s yearly regimen.
This year it’s paying dividends.
The Council Rock North senior has yet to lose a cross country meet.
Two weeks ago he won the National Conference Cross Country Championship at Lehigh University with a time of 15:40, a full 24 seconds ahead of second place Alex Cichitti of William Tennent.
That was a prelude to last Saturday’s District One Championship held on the same course at Lehigh. Last year he finished fifth in a time of 15:59. This year he took home the title with a time of 15:16, a full 19 seconds faster than North Penn’s Brad Miles did it a year ago.
It is the fastest recorded time on the current course.
Campbell’s strategy was to get to the front early, run conservatively the second mile and turn on the afterburners in the final mile.
The plan worked to perfection. He, Hatboro-Horsham’s Sam Hibbs and Downingtown West’s Quinn Devlin ran neck and neck for the first two miles, until Campbell made his move in the final mile, finishing 13 seconds ahead of Hibbs.
“He’s running real well,” said Council Rock coach Dave Marrington.
Miles, who went on to win the state championship, has become a target for Campbell.
“I want to follow what he did,” said Campbell.
Which means he has his sights set on besting Miles’ time once again this week on the PIAA course in Hershey. It’s a demanding course, one that is disliked by runners and coaches alike.
A year ago Campbell finished seventh, but only two runners that finished ahead of him are returning.
“I like his chances,” said Marrington. “He has a real good chance. And he’s made more improvements than they have. And he’s ready. He’s really focused and has a good attitude towards it. He’s ready to go.”
Yes, Campbell is ready.
A runoholic, he churned out 800 miles during the sweltering summer of 2010.
When he returned to school in August, he started running two-a-days, arriving at school at 6:15 for his morning run, and then doing the regular team workout after school.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he lifts weights, what Marrington calls “functional strength training,” less weight but more repetitions as well as core training.
“He’s put in a lot of extra work,” said Marrington. “He worked on his speed and now he’s working on his upper body strength. It’s all paying off for him.”
To understand how far Campbell has come, you have to look at the bigger picture.
Campbell, whose parents were both runners, ran track in seventh and eighth grade, “just for fun.”
“All my friends did it,” said Campbell. “We really didn’t end up doing any running.”
In ninth grade, his mother convinced him to try cross country. It was a way to get in shape for basketball.
Campbell’s basketball career, however, ended after ninth grade, when he became a dedicated year-round runner.
As a freshman and sophomore, Campbell lacked speed. That was something he picked up lifting as well as running winter and spring track, where he focused on the mile.
Last year, he finished sixth in the mile at states.
“Originally we looked at Chris as a cross country two-miler in the spring, and the last year he ran a 4:14 in the mile at the state meet, and we started looking at him more as a miler,” said Marrington. “He’s made steady improvement every year. He’s running about 25-30 seconds faster this year than last. He developed a lot of speed in the spring.”
Marrington also plans to run him on the distance medley relay this winter, hoping to qualify the team for nationals in the winter and the Penn Relays in the spring.
This spring Campbell has his sights set on breaking the Council Rock record in the mile. He needs to slice two seconds off his PR to do that.
“That’s one of my big dream goals,” he said.
His other “dream” goal includes running in the Cross Country Nationals in San Diego. To do that he must place in the top 10 at the Foot Locker Regional meet. He is the ninth returning runner this year after finishing in the 30s last year.
“I had a bad race last year,” he said. “My main goal is to get to nationals.”
Campbell plans on running in college. He has already visited Richmond, and he’s considering Syracuse, Penn State and St. Joseph’s.
“I’ll wait to do all my visits until after the cross country season,” he said. Syracuse is scheduled for January.
“There may be other schools,” he said. “I just don’t know which ones yet.”
Campbell shouldn’t have any trouble going wherever he wants.
“He’s your typical B student at Council Rock,” said Marrington. “He works hard at everything. The kids like him. He’s pretty humble as far as his ability goes, but when the gun goes off, he’s a very different person.”
Although he has an interest in science, Campbell has no idea what he will pursue as a major.
Right now, he’s just pursuing his dreams.
“We’ve had a lot of good kids over the years at Council Rock, including a fair number of state champions,” said Marrington, “and Chris is actually running better than any of them.”
Hopefully running towards his first state cross country gold medal this weekend.
“My time is tied for the best time in the state,” said Campbell.
It could be the first of three gold medals.
