Late start seems an advantage for Eagles’ Pollock

Soccer was Grant Pollock's sport from the time he began playing for the Richmond Strikers as a 5-year-old until he was a junior in high school.

Sometimes one-sport specialists get tired of their sport and look for a new course of action. Pollock got tired of soccer and turned his attention to cross country last year as a junior at Mills Godwin.

His previous experience with running was doing the mile in winter track as a sophomore.

Last year was not a banner season for the Eagles' boys cross country team. Coach Jon Lauder's blunt assessment was: "We weren't very good. They didn't put in the work."

This past summer, the Eagles put in the work, and it paid off at the Fork Union Invitational Sept. 12. Pollock, 17, ran 15:16.88 to win the 3-mile race and spark the Eagles to the team title.

"Grant is emerging into one of the best runners in the state," said second-year coach Lauder, a tall, slender fellow who looks like the runner he was at the University of Richmond (2004 graduate).

"He is so tough. To see a kid race as hard as he does is pretty rare. There are other guys more talented and faster, but Grant doesn't think that way."

Lauder said Pollock "really believes he can win every time out there. He isn't afraid to hurt. If anybody gives him an opening, he'll take it."

Case in point: the finish at Fork Union.

Pollock trailed Wojciech Czernek, running on his home course, through much of the race, but in the last 300 meters, most of it uphill, "I got a second wind. I got an adrenaline rush and ran him down."

The Eagles followed the Fork Union victory (Brentsville was second) with a third-place finish at the Brentsville Relays last weekend.

Pollock's time at Fork Union broke the Godwin school record for a 3-mile course. The record was owned previously by Brian Welch, a former All-Metro selection now having a successful running career at Virginia Tech. Welch told Pollock about college running and training when the two ran together this summer. Pollock also is taking aim at Welch's 5,000-meter school record time.

Pollock said his late start in running could be an advantage.

"I'm still fresh," he said. "I haven't had much trouble easing into it. [Last year] I didn't train as hard as I could. [Last year] showed me I couldn't just show up. I learned I had to work harder and push myself. I'm just following what Coach [Lauder] says. He knows what he's doing, and I trust that."

Contact Arthur Utley at (804) 649-6559 or .