All in the family

Zach Spreitzer is following in the footsteps of his distance-running dad

  Those familiar with the Spreitzer DNA code weren't surprised to see young Zach heading out for five-mile runs at an age when most kids are building their thumb muscles on their PlayStation and X-Box buttons.
  "I first started running long distances in fifth grade," said Zach Spreitzer, a senior member of Canton's deep and talented cross country team. "The longest I ran was about five miles. It gave me time to sort the day out. It was hard, but I liked it."
  Running runs in the Spreitzer family. His dad ran both cross country and track and field at Central Michigan University and his younger brother, Ben, is a teammate on the Chiefs' cross-country contingent.
  A stellar 3.83 student, Spreitzer's best time of 16:51 came in his sophomore season, two autumns ago. He expects to eclipse that time by mid-season following a summer training regimen that included an average of 60 miles per week.
Spreitzer emphasized that being a successful long-distance runner takes a lot more than endurance.
  "Mental toughness is so important," said Spreitzer, who may eventually run at CMU like his dad. "You can have two different runners. One can be in better shape, but if the other one is stronger mentally, he can be the better runner.
  "Ninety percent of running is mental toughness. It's all about being able to get your nerves under control, planning your race and not falling apart in mid-race when the pressure is on."
  Spreitzer said he thinks this year's Canton team is mentally tough and physically talented.
  "I like this team a lot," he said. "We only lost two guys off last year's varsity team, so we have a chance to win a lot of invitationals and do well in some ranked meets."

Ed Wright can be reached at info@plymouthcantonsports.com or (734) 453-1980.