Isaiah Doherty enters the Haven High School cross country season with high expectations after a strong junior year that saw him finish among the state’s top runners.
Doherty is coming off a season in which he ran a personal-best 5-kilometer time of 16:32 at Sterling and placed 15th at the state cross country meet. Now, he has his sights set even higher.
“I’m definitely most excited to win,” Doherty said. “I would like to be a top runner for state. To also beat my school record I set for Haven High during XC.”
Doherty spent the offseason focused on several areas of preparation, including increasing his mileage, researching ways to improve and paying closer attention to his eating habits. He also attended indoor track at Wichita State University as another way to continue developing as a runner.
“I have been working on the offseason with my mileage, research and eating habits,” Doherty said. “Focusing on my goals and working to achieve them. I attended indoor track at WSU to train as well.”
While physical preparation has been important, Doherty also has worked to strengthen the mental side of his performance. He said he has incorporated longer runs into his training while keeping his future goals in mind.
“I wanted to work on my mental game and physical,” Doherty said. “So by that I have done more longer runs and just thinking of my future goals to influence my mental during this summer.”
Doherty’s goals for the season are both individual and team-oriented. He wants to establish himself as one of the state’s top runners while helping Haven earn a spot at the state meet.
“Some goals I want to be a top runner and get our team to state,” Doherty said. “To be better than I thought I could ever be.”
Doherty’s track season further demonstrated his potential. He ran a 9:50 in the 3,200 meters and finished sixth, giving him additional experience competing against some of the state’s best distance runners.
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