The Bears Running Club

Kittatinny senior running down his dream By Laurie Gordon “You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.” -- Steve Prefontaine Sam McMullen ran his first cross country race at the Wallkill Invitational when he was in second grade. Soccer was his primary sport, so he used running on and off over the years to get in shape. Then, when he turned 10, that changed and over the next few years, running became his primary sport and…his passion. A senior at Kittatinny Regional High School, McMullen is far and away the best distance runner on his cross country and track teams. With no one on his own team to push him, he’s learned to push himself and has had the tenacity to read, to learn and to self coach himself to become a champion. When McMullen was 10, he joined The Bears Youth Running Program and began going to races at Brundage Park. Often, he’d leave right after the race to get to a soccer game. Through the Bears, he improved and improved, and earned the right to travel around the country to the AAU Nationals. McMullen remained a member of The Bears through middle school and shone not only at Kittatinny, but throughout the state, hitting personal records in several distances. Then, ninth grade came and McMullen had aged out of the Bears. Many of his Bears teammates were going to Pope John, so they’d have one another to push in training. Not McMullen. As a freshman at Kittatinny Regional High, McMullen was an immediate stand out, and Coach Lou Cravotta recognized that. “My relationship with Coach Cravotta has been a big help in the way I train,” McMullen said.,“ One of his best qualities has always been his willingness to listen. We both have a tremendous amount of respect for each other which has allowed him to trust me enough to suggest a big part of weekly workouts.” Over the past four years, McMullen has plotted out each of his seasons. Since Kittatinny doesn’t have an indoor program, he’s accounted for the winter as a time to base build then add speed when he’s ready. An ankle injury plagued McMullen on and off for several years. McMullen’s initial ankle injury was sustained when he was 12 years old and the leader of the Bears Boys 11-12 Youth Team. The team, which included current Pope John stars Jeremy Scheid and Clay Smith, had very high expectations of winning a National Championship. Unfortunately, McMullen broke his ankle while skate boarding two weeks prior and this turned out to be the first of many ankle injuries he had to overcome. Undaunted, each time the injury reared its ugly head throughout his high school career, he sought treatment and eventually, orthotics, and finally, just in time for his senior year, it went away. When it comes to working out by himself, McMullen said it’s both good and bad. “On the one hand it allows me to relax and be alone with my thoughts on easy days. On the other hand, on hard days I’d much rather run with people who are better than me. Having someone to push you throughout a workout I think is just as important as the type of workout being performed.” Still, he’s stayed motivated through the base-building hot months of summer and the freezing icy winter months not to mention throughout his fall and spring seasons. “I have always had a few things that motivated me in sports before running. No matter what sport I stuck with, I always wanted to work hard at it so I’d eventually be able to continue it in college. After some of my friends left to go to Pope John to run it always left a bit of a chip on my shoulder and motivated me a little more. Although I have great teammates that can push me at the beginning of workouts, I’ve always struggled to push myself at the end of workouts when they might begin to fall behind. That’s when that chip on the shoulder really begins to motivate me because I think how hard my Pope John friends are running, so I push harder.” McMullen’s biggest two fans are his parents. “My parents have always been a huge support system for me,“ he said, “They never put pressure on me because they know I am always trying my hardest. They come to almost all of my races and always have a calming influence that helps me to relax, especially my dad.” Aside from his parents, McMullen looks up to a lot of famous elites. Steve Prefontaine has always been “the American icon of distance running” to McMullen, and he finds reading about him “very motivating.” McMullen’s Bears coaches continue to motivate him, especially Guy Gordon who attends many of his races and trains with him when he can on weekends. Bears coach, Bruce Wask, is also a big influence, attending races and sharing his years of experience in the sport. Of Coach Cravatta, McMullen said he “has always demonstrated the importance of patience and listening to help me be more mature.” McMullen credits all of these people with making him a “well-rounded as a runner and person” and said they “still continue to be a huge part of my inspiration.” Running has had a huge impact on the career McMullen plans to pursue. “I love working with sports and other athletes, so I figured one of the best ways to do that is to get a degree in Athletic Training. In the future I hope to eventually become a sports doctor of some kind for a professional team.” Though he hasn’t made a final college decision, it’s down to Marist, Roanoke, and Temple. He said he will “definitely” run in college and that “half of my decision on which college I go to is just based on how I like the coach and team at each school.” Some of McMullen’s Kittatinny teammates have asked him to make them preseason schedules and he said, “I always love hearing that because I know how important it is to get in base workouts in order to stay strong through the season.” McMullen lives in the Crandon Lakes section of Newton, and running from his house is one of his favorite places to enjoy his sport especially following the trials that go over the Kittatinny Mountains into Sandyston. “ I especially love running through Tillman’s Ravine and down into Buttermilk Falls. These areas are always so scenic and peaceful and have great dirt trails.” His favorite two early season workouts are long distance runs and hill repeats because “they are the basis of a good foundation.” Later in the season, his favorite workout is a combination of 400’s and 200’s. Alan Sillitoe wrote a short story entitled The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. Though McMullen and the lad in the story are in different circumstances, they both seek solace in distance running. Like Steve Prefontaine, running has become McMullen’s positive obsession and it’s taken him to great heights including: 1st Team All-League SCIL Cross Country in 2005 and 2006, 1st Team All-Area Cross Country in 2006, 1st Team All League SCIL Track, 2006, Kittitanny Athlete of the Month, November, 2005, Sussex Bank Athlete of the Month, September, 2006, Kittitinny MVP in Cross Country, 2005 and in both Cross Country and Track in 2006. Kittitinny Coach’s Award Recipient, 2005 and of late, the Kittitinny High School Scholar Athlete of the Year for 2006-2007. McMullen placed 2nd in the North I Group Cross Country Sectionals, running a blazing 16:51 on the grueling Garrett Mountain 5-Kilometer Course and his personal bests include a 2:05 for 800 meters, 4:37 mile, 9:58 3200 and 16:18 for 5-kilometers. Several years ago, Bears teammates would tell stories about how McMullen would get off the school bus and run, with back pack in tow, all the way home. That was before practice and he was also known to run to the bus in the morning. Those “bus” runs added to McMullen’s mystique among the Bears and his passion for running became infectious in his Bears teammates. From a little boy who couldn’t wait to run after school to a young man determined to take his running to the highest level he can, McMullen epitomizes the word “commitment.” Like his American icon, Prefontaine, McMullen is willing to suffer any amount of pain in order to win a race, and his self-coaching and training is a reflection of that.