Barrington’s Peterson has unique path to success

It’s not as if Barrington senior Erik Peterson is a psychic. But he sure seems to know what is going to happen on the track before it actually happens.

“We never talk about a pre-race plan,” said Barrington cross country and distance coach Ty Gorman. “He just knows how to race. He knows other runners’ styles and he is not intimidated by anyone.”

Peterson’s meteoric rise to the elite level of distance running in this state is simply unprecedented. He didn’t come out for track or any running at all until his sophomore year, and his rapid ascent to the top of the distance-rich Mid Suburban League has been impressive.

“The first day he was out it wasn’t like he came in with a lot of hype or anything like that,” Gorman said. “It wasn’t a day later and he was already running with some of the best kids at his level.”

Some coaches see the potential, and then there is that moment when a runner jumps up and surprises everyone. It’s often referred to as a “wow moment” and at the 2010 Lake County Invitational, Peterson had one of them.

Lake Forest senior Henry Mynatt was leading the field in the 3,200 meters with a seemingly healthy margin over a young, skinny runner from Barrington with a uniform top that looked three sizes too big.

The race didn’t change much with 300 meters to go. But when the runners hit the final straightaway, Mynatt had company in the form of Peterson. The Broncos sophomore (at the time) blew past Mynatt and stunned the crowd at Deerfield for a school record.

Peterson had arrived, but he announced his presence to the league a week later at the MSL meet at Elk Grove.

In the same position as the week before, Peterson blew by three runners on his way to the first of what would be three straight MSL titles in the 3,200 – a feat that has never been accomplished in a conference known for great distance runners.

“Erik just hates to lose,” said Barrington coach Todd Kuklinski. “True, you could say that about everyone, but he gets mad and is so driven to win that he refuses to lose.”

Peterson, who decided on Butler University for his running future, is steadfast in how he wants to race each race. He knows a time he wants to hit, the splits he wants to hit and he rarely fails to produce the times he sets out to run.

“I just set my mind to what I want to do,” Peterson said. “If I know it is going to be a sit and kick race then that’s how I am going to race. If I want to get out front and lead then I do that.”

The unflappable nature Peterson is known for has served him well at the local meet and state meet level. In particular it will serve the state meet veteran well this weekend as Peterson competes in the 3,200 at the Class 3A state finals at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field on Saturday.

“I have done this so many times that it doesn’t really get to me too much,” he said. “Some guys have been there a few times, some have even gotten there four times, which is rare. This being my third time going down makes it easier because nothing is new for me.”

Peterson has been there and done just about all that when it comes to the Barrington record books. He owns the 1,600 and 3,200 school records — both set this season. He also was a member of the 3,200 relay that shattered the school record on the way to a state runner-up finish last year.

“I looked at it like these guys are all seniors and I may not get another chance at this event,” Peterson said of the 3,200-team that included Karl Eiring, Pat Mangan and Eric Schneider. “I knew I had this year.”

This year has been a bittersweet year for Peterson. The bitter portion came in the form of the cross-country season when an injury limited his running and led to an eighth-place finish at the state meet.

The sweet part of the season has come this track season. Peterson, who has only lost a handful of races in his career, has gone through the season earning Lake County top honors in a miserably cold night at Lake Zurich, divisional honors in the mile and 2-mile, conference championship honors in the mile and 2-mile and a sectional title in the 2-mile.

Now with one race left, Peterson already knows what to expect, long before he steps onto the big blue track in Charleston.

“It will be a sit-and-kick race,” he said smiling. “With the heat and guys running multiple events this is the kind of race I see it being.”

He gets the chance to be right one more time.