Coming into his final season as a prep distance runner, Chris Scharer had one thing on his mind.
“I set placing on the podium at state in the 800 (meters) and just giving it my all as my only goal,” the Auburn Mountainview senior said. “Sometimes, in the middle of a race, you have a choice of running harder or just giving up.”
This year Scharer chose to run harder.
For his efforts, Scharer was named the South Puget Sound League 3A Track Athlete of the Year by the league’s coaches.
Now, with just two meets – this weekend’s SPSL 3A sub-district meet and next weekend’s West Central District III meet – before the state track and field championships in Tacoma, Scharer looks to earn that spot on the podium.
So far this season Scharer has been on fire in the 800-meter race, his best event.
In the Lions’ five SPSL 3A dual meets, Scharer won each time out, including a personal-best run of 1 minute, 58 seconds against Enumclaw on April 4, the 10th fastest 3A time in the state. He also grabbed first at the Kent-Meridian Invitational and third at the 53rd Shelton Invitational.
Along the way, Scharer and the Auburn Mountainview boys won their first-ever SPSL 3A title, May 1 against Decatur.
“That was pretty cool,” Scharer said. “It’s just kind of nice because Izaic Yorks (from Lakes High School, 3A state champ in the 800 and 1,600 last season) and all the other fast guys have graduated. It was exciting, it was really thrilling. I feel a little guilty, though. Before it was guys like Yorks winning all the distance stuff. Now it’s me.”
Although not having to run against Yorks and his 1:50 times on a regular basis helps, the real credit for Scharer’s success this season goes to his offseason workouts.
In addition to taking off the cross country season this past fall to concentrate on weight training, Scharer said he got a boost from his P90X2 workouts over the summer.
“It was tough to give up cross country, but I wanted to do the weight training,” he said. “Plus I was little tired of the 5Ks and longer distances. So I stepped down as captain and turned over the leadership.”
One bonus to taking off the cross country season for Scharer was a chance to gain more experience as a sports trainer.
“I got to do football and some soccer,” he said. “I got to see a lot of action. I’m going to go to WSU and hopefully major in athletic training and go on to medical school.”
If he qualifies this year, it will be his third trip to the state 3A meet. Scharer placed 15th in the 1,600 last season and as a sophomore in 2011.
The SPSL 3A sub-district meet begins Friday and finishes Saturday at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner.
ALSO: The Auburn and Auburn Riverside boys and girls track and field teams began competition in the South Puget Sound League 4A meet on Wednesday at French Field in Kent. The meet concludes Friday.
