Some Like it Hot

After placing 5th in the 10,000-meter run at NJCAA D1 Outdoor T&F Championships, Comet record-holder Jacob Day is weighing options.

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — We asked Jacob Day, the reigning Charles City High School record holder in cross country and the 3,200-meter run, what type of terrain he likes best.

“Running on a track,” he answered immediately. “First of all, I hate hills. And there are no hills on a track.

“Also, I like to have a gauge to where I’m at in a race. On a track I know exactly where I’m at. In cross country, you can ride a bus for hours and then they throw you on a course in Arkansas where you never ran before in your life.”

Day may prefer the predictability and bearing that comes with making circuitous left-hand turns, but the future of his  long-distance college career has placed him at a crossroads with multiple paths before him.

“I want to get back to Division 1,” Day said. “Whatever choice I make, I want to run again at that level.”

After a brilliant career as a Comet, Day signed on to run cross country and track at the University of Northern Iowa. But he sustained a partially torn achilles tendon before his freshman cross country season.

“It came while I was playing basketball,” said Day, who ended up missing half of the season and struggled to recover fully for track and field.

For his sophomore year, Day transferred to Northern Iowa Area Community College. After a bout with anemia, Day established himself as a standout on the Trojans’ track team.

At the NJCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships held May 17-19 in Levelland, Tex., Day placed fifth in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 32 minutes, 12.64 seconds — not only a personal-best for Day, but a NIACC school record.

“The weather was strange down there,” Day said. “When we first went down there, it was 98 degrees. Then the next day (when Day ran the 10,000) it dropped down to 49 degrees.”

So that was a good thing, right?

“No … I love running in the heat,” Day said. “Maybe it comes from me — growing up here — hating the cold so much.”

The day after the 10,000-meter run, Day ran in the 1,500-meter preliminaries — another event which he qualified for.

“Usually, there is a day off between the two runs,” said Day, who was unable to finish the latter race. “No one forced me to run both races in such a short period of time. It was something I wanted to do.”

Since graduating from high school, Day has found his stride in longer-distance runs like the 10,000 and 5,000. He credits his college coaches, including NIACC track coach Curtis Vais, in helping him make the transition.

Now after completing his sophomore year at NIACC, Day is weighing options to continue his collegiate career at either Texas Tech, Wichita State, Iowa or even a return to UNI.

“It’s a decision I’ll probably make within the next couple of weeks,” said Day, who is an English and Journalism major.

Day started running as a way to get in shape for wrestling.

“My dad was a wrestler, so wrestling was big in my family,” said Day, who suffered a broken femur while wrestling his sophomore year before focusing his efforts on cross country and track.

“I see some of the guys I used to beat now doing well in wrestling and I wonder if I should have stayed with it,” Day said. “But a season of making and cutting weight, and then turn around to get ready for track would have been a lot of stress on the body.”

Running by itself is not stressful for Day.

“To me it’s such a stress reliever,” said Day, who plans to run several road races this summer to “stay sharp”.

“I’m going to do the Sturgis Falls Half Marathon (on June 26),” Day said. “I haven’t done a marathon, yet. That will probably have to wait until I finish college.”