Introducing Nathan Wanuch: Cross country superstar

He may not skate circles around bigger guys or shoot threes like they're free-throws, but cross country runner Nathan Wanuch is turning some heads.
Born in Edmonton, Alberta, the 19-year-old Brock University Physical Education student made an immediate impact in the OUA and will only get better in the years to come.
"I've been running cross country since I was in grade six," said Wanuch. "I didn't have the skills in the popular sports like most other people did. I just ran and I was good at it.
"My dad is a full-blood native Cree from out west. I definitely think that has a lot to do with my running. He was a very talented runner [.] Both sides of my family [are] athletic, I guess I kind of have to be."
Wanuch never excelled at the "more popular" sports like hockey or basketball, and track and field was not an option by his high school years, so cross country was his sport of choice by default.
Arriving at Brock in 2009, Wanuch had his eyes opened by a dedicated passion among his teammates.
"[Coming to Brock], I wasn't sure what to expect with it, but now that I'm here I definitely see that there's a lot of potential," he said. "At first I had no clue where I would be amongst all the other runners. After the first couple of races, I got [a] win at one of our smaller races. That was a huge boost to my confidence."
That smaller race was the Western Open, where Wanuch finished the six-kilometer run with a time of 19:08. The victory propelled him to lead all Brock runners in the OUA Championships on Oct. 31, finishing 21st overall - second among rookies - in the 10-kilometre race with a time of 31:55.
Wanuch credits much of his success to Brock's head coach, Curtis Gadula.
"His energy is always so positive," said Wanuch of his coach. "He's such a happy guy, so it rubs off on all of us. I've been a lot more positive since joining the team. Seeing him and his excitement for it gets us all a lot more excited."
Excitement, however, comes with a price. That price comes in the form of shoes - lots and lots of shoes.
"I've got my normal training shoes [.] I have my racing spikes, and then I have my racing flats. I go through probably about four pairs of shoes a year [...] I feel like a girl when it comes to shoes."
Running is part of a means to an end for Wanuch, whose career goals include teaching and coaching at the high school level.
"I've always wanted to be a teacher. I know I definitely want to get into coaching too," said Wanuch. "Seeing the kids improve; I know that's definitely what I want to do."
Wanuch spends his off-season cross country skiing and weight training, but nothing fills him more than making music.
"I love playing my guitar and I write a lot of songs," he said. "My ultimate goal would be to get a CD put together eventually. I've got a couple songs coming along. It's definitely a good fallback from running.
"Music and running are my life, and I wouldn't trade anything for it.