Runner makes strides at Eastern

By jaime Lopez/Verge Editor | Posted: Friday, January 25, 2013 12:34 am

Alone and on a plane to a country he had only heard of through the news and on the television, Christian Kolb, a red-shirt freshman hurdler on the track team, took one of the longest plane rides of his life to run track and field at Eastern.

“People usually ask me about autobahns and if we really eat sauerkraut that much,” he said. “They also always tell me that Germans are really tall but that might be true.”

Kolb sought out several schools before making the decision to run as a Panther.

He said he had done research and was drawn to the school because of its fast team and coaching staff. 

On top of venturing all the way to a foreign country, Kolb said his first indoor season at Eastern — last year — he didn’t really have a chance to compete.

His first indoor meet last year, he said was incredibly nervous.

“All of the command signals were in English, and I was competing against guys who were all four to five years older than me,” Kolb said. 

But race after race, Kolb has overcame his fears and run his events without second guessing himself or having any doubts.

After settling into the states, Kolb said his team embraced him with open arms and made his stay much easier. 

“The whole track team, we’re kind of like a family that really supports each other in our events and during workouts,” Kolb said. 

He said his teammates are always bombarding him with piles of questions about his homeland. 

Kolb said he likes that, because it shows that his teammates are really interested in learning about him. 

Kolb started running in 2007 when a gym teacher told him that he was talented. 

During that time, he was playing volleyball and tennis, but stopped and began to focus on track and hone in on his talents. 

Since then, he has had a hard time not running. 

 “Once when I was younger I stopped for about two weeks, and then I realized that I couldn’t go without it,” he said. 

Kolb said track and field has brought structure to his life, with the strict daily routine it fosters. 

His Mondays and Wednesdays, he said, are jam-packed.

He heads to class all morning, then practice from two to six in the afternoon, then he heads home for homework. 

Kolb said it can be repetitive but has helped him do well in school, as well as on the track. 

“It gets things done,” Kolb said. “I can’t complain if something is working really well for me.”

Last weekend he and his relay team pulled of a win in the 4x400-meter relay, and last spring he was a part of the OVC Championship team.

Though he has been successful on the track, Kolb said he has experienced moments that have only fueled his ambitions even more, like the times he’s tripped over hurdles. 

“When you trip over a hurdle, it’s like you don’t know it’s happening, which makes it even worse,” Kolb said.

But flubs like those, Kolb said, have only fueled his ambitions to become a better runner, as well as a tactician. 

Before starting a race, Kolb said he maps out its outcome in his head, how he will jump a hurdle or when he will surge, but as he sets himself up in the blocks, he said he checks out mentally and just runs without thinking about anything that may distract him.

The track ahead of him and the competitors are the only things running through his mind, Kolb said.

For this indoor season, Kolb wants to win the 4x40-meter relay with his teammates at conference and break his previous times.

His favorite part about running is crossing the finish line and getting a feeling about satisfaction.

“That feeling when you cross the finish line, I think that’s what I enjoy the most,” Kolb said. 

Jaime Lopez can be reached  at 581-2812 or jlopez2@eiu.edu.