Levi Sturm has already established himself as one of Central Christian Academy’s top cross country runners. This season, he is hoping to help the Lions reach a milestone the program has never achieved.
Sturm’s goal is to help Central Christian qualify its boys cross country team for the state meet for the first time. Individually, he has set his sights even higher.
“One of my goals for our team is to help make history by becoming the first CCA boys cross-country team to qualify for state,” Sturm said. “Individually, my goal is to place in the top five at this year’s cross-country state meet.”
Sturm enters the season with plenty of postseason experience. He placed fifth at regionals and 10th at the Class 2A state meet in 2024, becoming Central Christian’s first state cross country medalist.
He followed that with a 10th-place regional finish and a 37th-place finish at state in 2025, running 18:21.19 at the state meet.
His preparation for this season has centered on consistency. Sturm followed his coaches’ training plans, running more than 40 miles per week while also participating in summer weight training.
“I followed my coaches’ training plans and ran more than 40 miles per week,” Sturm said. “I also participated in summer weight training.”
That work has taken on added significance following a challenging stretch in his running career. After the 2025 state track meet, Sturm underwent his first heart surgery. He then had a second heart surgery at the beginning of the 2026 track season.
Since then, Sturm has focused on rebuilding his fitness and getting his body back to where it was before the setbacks.
“My running journey has had a few setbacks,” Sturm said. “After the state track meet in 2025, I underwent my first heart surgery, followed by a second heart surgery at the beginning of the 2026 track season.”
Sturm has approached the recovery process gradually, increasing his weekly mileage while remaining consistent with his training.
“Since then, I have been working to improve my times by gradually increasing my weekly mileage, staying consistent with my training, and retraining my body after these setbacks,” Sturm said.
Despite the challenges, Sturm has continued to produce strong results on the track. In 2025, he finished sixth in the Class 2A 1,600 meters at the state track meet with a time of 4:31.67.
Now, his attention has turned back to cross country and the opportunity to lead Central Christian into uncharted territory.
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