Hersey standout excels in pain management
"He's willing to experience more pain than other people, both in training and in races. It's unique. That's what separates the really good runners from the great runners."
Hersey coach Tim Phillips
Successful cross country runners have to be a little different than most people.
A great cross country runner has to have a certain mental toughness, the ability to ignore pain.
Hersey senior Kevin Havel understands that very well. Havel has always enjoyed pushing himself to the full extent of his ability.
He has a favorite saying: "My sport is your sport's punishment."
Havel's self-induced punishment includes regular 10-to-15 mile runs, regardless of weather. This summer, he only allowed himself to sleep past 7 a.m. once and put more miles on his body than he did on his car.
"I have to take this sport seriously," he said. "To compete at a maximum level, you have to be committed. It's not hard because I love it and it is a part of me."
"He's so consistent with his work ethic," Hersey coach Tim Phillips said. "No matter how cold it is in the winter or that it's the middle of the summer and other people are sleeping in, it doesn't matter.
"I don't think he sees it as a sacrifice. I think he sees it as part of wanting to be great."
Havel's dedication to training produced amazing results from the beginning.
Havel finished fifth at the state meet as a freshman, fourth as a sophomore and second last year while recording the 10th-fastest time in Class AA state history.
"He blossomed early and he's one of those kids who loves running," said Schaumburg coach Jim Macnider. "I know he works very hard and he's mentally very tough."
Havel entered high school wanting to make the all-state team as a freshman.
To accomplish his goal, he tried to train like the established seniors on the team. However, Phillips initially felt Havel was being a little too ambitious and tried to hold him back to avoid burning out his young runner.
"There were times he got a little frustrated with me," Phillips said. "He would run faster in practice than he had to."
Havel's competitiveness, as well as his sportsmanship, won over Prospect coach Mike Stokes.
"I'm a big fan," Stokes said. "He's an extremely tough kid. He can grind you out … and he's a nice kid. He's very humble and not pretentious."
Havel's time to flourish typically comes during the middle and later stages of a race when he can sense his opponents starting to waver.
"Most of the kids that go race him aren't even close to his level," Palatine coach Chris Quick said. "(Havel) definitely has his thing that in the middle in the race, he has the ability to grind away at you. (It is) this punishing, 'I will not let up the pace' trademark."
Havel said that in his mind the race "starts after the first mile" and he often wins by "grinding it out for three miles."
"I think he's very mentally tough," Phillips said. "That's a huge advantage for him. In a lot of ways, he's willing to hurt more than other kids.
"He's willing to experience more pain than other people, both in training and in races. It's unique. That's what separates the really good runners from the great runners."
Although Havel has had a tremendous career, there's still one thing missing from his resume: a state title.
Saying that he wanted to pick up where he left off, Havel would love to graduate as a state champion.
"There are a lot of tough guys and I feel like I'm with them," he said. "As long as I stay injury free, great things should happen at state."