Improving Truchon Eager For 'Awesome Opportunity' In Indiana

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Joshua Truchon knows a little something about waiting on results, although the West Allis Nathan Hale High senior didn't have to fret over the counting of ballots. 

Last Saturday at the Wisconsin state cross country championships, Truchon ran in the first of three sessions at Arrowhead High and then had to leave the venue and see if his time of 15:18.3 held up against the top runners in the state.

Truchon and his coaches holed up in nearby Red Robin first, killing time by picking at bottomless fries and root beer floats, while waiting for someone at the course to text them results of Sessions 2 and 3. 

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"It was nerve-wracking to say the least," Truchon said. "I remember telling myself the day before I was going to run and then do something else to take my mind off (the wait). My family and coaches we went to (Red Robin) but none of us could eat (at first) because we were so nervous."

Truchon's time held up and he was delcared the winner, and Hale's first state champion, later that afternoon -- about seven hours after his race. His time was 20 seconds better than his top challenger, Cael Grotenhuis of Slinger. 

Next up, the Wisconsin Division 1 champ is planning to run Nov. 15 in the XC Town USA Meet of Champions, presented by the Garrett Companies at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind. 

Truchon will take on some of the top runners in the country and will know instantly how he fared in the high school boys championship race. 

"It's an awesome opportunity," he said. "This race will be everybody at once and we'll get to have a normal-feeling race."

DYESTAT DISCUSSION - JOSHUA TRUCHON

Truchon, who placed fourth at the state meet last year, finished 36th at the NXR Heartland regional and 44th at Foot Locker Midwest. 

But he's come a long way since then. Truchon used the blank calendar of the spring and all of summer to train and keep improving. 

His 15:18 at the Wisconsin state meet earned him the highest speed rating of the weekend for the 11 state meets that were held. 

"The cool thing about him is there's not a big jump but a nice steady progression," Hale coach Dan Machmueller said. "He's an aerobic-typle kid. The longer the distances and the longer runs, that's what fuels him."

On the 15th, in Terre Haute, Truchon will get a chance to put that new fitness and confidence to the test. 

"I think going in, he probably doesn't know much about this race," Machmueller said. "We'll stay focused on what we're doing. He's aware there are going to be some guys to race and it's going to be fun. But he has a pretty low-key attitude, so I think he'll go after it and see how things shake up."