Fleet front-runner

Andy Kimpel came out of nowhere as a freshman to place fifth the next season in the State 3A cross country championships.

But his coach at North Central, Jon Knight, wouldn’t necessarily call him a distance running prodigy.

“It wouldn’t be accurate to say he’s a kid who just showed up with amazing talent,” Knight said of the No. 1 runner on NC’s No. 1 nationally ranked cross country team. “Obviously, he had some talent. But he’s really been the ‘Little Engine That Could.’ ”

Still, there has to be something special about a skateboarder and basketball player who came to distance running almost by accident and in four years rose quickly. From being the 22nd-best freshman in Spokane he became a two-time top-five state placer and this year’s favorite Saturday at the State 3A boys meet at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

“It’s interesting,” Knight said. “I didn’t know about him until high school and don’t have any recollection of him running (cross country) as a freshman.”

That’s because the only running Kimpel did before high school was a 6-minute, 42-second mile in a physical education class.

“I was in a ninth-grade science class and a kid was getting recruited (by Indians assistant Len Long) for cross country,” Kimpel said. “He asked me if I wanted to join.”

Kimpel figured it would be something new to try and a good way to condition for basketball, his preference prior to high school. The competitiveness took hold after what he deemed the disappointment of that 22nd-place finish in the end-of-season Greater Spokane League freshman meet. In summer he trained twice daily, determined to focus on a new sport and learn it the right way from the outset.

“I was taking driver’s education and didn’t train with the team,” he said. “I ran by myself every morning and afternoon with my parents riding along on a bike. It was not as quality a workout as I wanted.”

But it proved good enough to get him on varsity where he quickly established himself, along with fellow sophomore Leon Dean, as runners to watch in the GSL. His fifth-place state finish sparked the first team championship of what could be three in succession for the Indians if they win this weekend.

“That got me hooked,” Kimpel said. “No one expected me to (place) that high. I surprised myself.”

Last year he improved to second behind eventual winner Ryan Prentice from Mt. Rainier. Kimpel also finished second to Prentice in the 3,200-meter run in track and was fifth in the 1,600 for NC’s state championship track team.

Having a talented group of teammates to train with has helped the entire Indians distance crew improve. Last weekend all seven varsity runners placed in the top 10 of the 3A regional meet in Pasco, 25 seconds separating the five scorers and just more than a minute difference among the entire NC seven.

Race winner Kimpel, who timed 15:05 for 5,000 meters, Dean (15:09) and Jeff Howard (15:10) had times better than all but 4A race winner Andrew Gonzales from Southridge.

Kimpel said training together with such talent has been much better than those solo runs with his parents, Dave and Connie, on bikes in tow.

“That was hard,” he said. “I’d never do that again. I think I’ve benefited more working with the team and doing long runs and speed intervals.”

Numerous colleges have come calling the school cross country record holder. Yet prior to high school he never thought he’d be a distance runner, let alone one this successful.

“I definitely feel it was a really good decision, honestly,” he said. “It’s definitely made me a better person in general.”

Knight said you’ll never find a more humble or generous youngster, one without braggadocio and a pleasure to coach. The convergence of talent at one time, helping each other to excel, has made these special times at NC.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime group,” Knight said. “Coach Long and I are just trying to savor it.”