Stepping into his own

SARASOTA — Adam Bradtmueller knew his day would come.

He always wanted to be one of the best. He just had to bide his time.

Two years after joining the Sarasota High cross-country team, the junior is finally stepping out of the shadows of his teammates who have earned their fair share of accolades and coming into his own.

Bradtmueller won his first meet of the season at the Fort Myers Optimist Invite Sept. 13; he crossed the finish line in 16 minutes, 22.10 seconds.

He followed up his victory with a first-place finish at the North Port XC Invitational Sept. 20, where he set a new season-best time of 15:48.30.

“It feels like my time is finally here,” says Bradtmueller, who credits his success with having gotten older and stronger.

With his first-place finish, Bradtmueller helped the Sailors win the boys elite division. It also marked the first time Bradtmueller had beaten fellow teammate Zack Summerall.

For the past year, Bradtmueller has been the Sailors’ No. 2 runner behind Summerall. The two, who push one another every day in practice, have battled back and forth on both the cross-country course and the track, with Summerall always coming out on top.

Everyone at Sarasota High knows Summerall is a runner. But Bradtmueller wants to make it known that he’s a runner, too. And a pretty darn good one at that.

“Whenever I tell people at school that I run cross-country, they tell me, ‘Oh, you run with Zack. He’s really fast,’” Bradtmueller says.

Bradtmueller has had aspirations of beating Summerall from a competitive standpoint, but now that he’s accomplished it once, Bradtmueller is focused on the big picture — doing whatever he can to help Sarasota win.

“Now that I did it once, I can get my mind off of it,” Bradtmueller says of beating Summerall. “Now we can work together to compete against the bigger competition. It’s kind of like the stress is off my back.”

Bradtmueller’s running career began in seventh grade when he joined the McIntosh Middle School track team. A year later, Bradtmueller broke the school record in the mile, crossing the finish line in 4:58.

“That’s when I realized (running) was the thing for me,” Bradtmueller says.

Bradtmueller joined the Sarasota cross-country team as a freshman, at the urging of former Sailor runner Courtland Bernard. Bradtmueller won the Foot Locker Cross Country South Regional Championships in 16:10, finishing ahead of the other 158 freshmen runners.

“Courtland and everyone from the Florida team was there cheering for me,” Bradtmueller says. “They waited for me to cross the finish line and then it was like a big teammate hug. That’s probably my fondest memory.”

As a sophomore, Bradtmueller finished 17th at the FHSAA Cross Country State Finals and finished 45th at the Foot Locker Cross Country South Regional Championships. That spring, Bradtmueller earned a medal in the mile after finishing seventh in a personal-best time of 4:18.39 at the FHSAA Outdoor State Finals.

Bradtmueller returned to the cross-country course Sept. 6 and has already dropped nearly three minutes off his time.

Bradtmueller approaches every race the same way. Before the gun goes off, he reminds himself why he’s there.

“I take a couple of breaths to calm down and smile,” Bradtmueller says. “After all, it’s supposed to be fun.”

Bradtmueller pushes the first 300 meters in an effort to break away from the pack. He then settles into place during the second mile, making sure not to fall off pace, before making his final push at the third mile.

“During race time I worry about myself,” Bradtmueller says. “After I finish, I look back and start to worry about my teammates and try to see where they are.

“Being in the front of the pack is a fun experience,” Bradtmueller says. “It’s the best feeling looking up at the scoreboard and seeing your team ahead. It’s more of a team sport than it seems.”

Bradtmueller runs 40 to 45 miles a week during the cross-country season, which he hopes will prepare him for district, regional and state competition in November. Bradtmueller also hopes to return to the Foot Locker Cross Country South Regional Championships and place in the top 10, which would land him a spot in the Foot Locker National Championships.

“It would be an honor,” Bradtmueller says. “Everyone that made that race has gone on to be a- professional runner. It would feel good knowing that all of my training paid off.”

FAST FACTS
Do you have any pre-race rituals?
Before every race our team does a pre-race chant. It’s kind of long, but it ends, “(Sarasota) is about to win the show.”

What’s the one sport you would play for Sarasota if you weren’t a runner?
Basketball. I used to play growing up, and it’s kind of a family sport. I was going to try out for the team up until regionals my freshman year of cross-country. Then I decided to stick to cross-country.

What’s the one food you can’t live without?
Bagels and cream cheese. I just always ate them growing up. I’ll go a couple days in a row where that’s all I’ll eat.

What’s the one thing you wanted to be when you were little?
A professional skateboarder.

What’s your favorite Gatorade flavor?
Cool Blue.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].