By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
Patience probably isn't a term most people would associate with racing. Stick the two words together and "patiently racing" would be considered an oxymoron.
But Stevens Point Area Senior High cross country runner Josh Garbe proved the two terms can work together Saturday at the WIAA State Meet in Wisconsin Rapids.
Garbe took a somewhat conservative approach and it worked wonders for the senior, as he finished fourth overall in the Division 1 race. His finish was the highest for SPASH since 1997, when Clint Eiden was the state runner-up.
"My strategy was to get into the lead pack and just have patience for when the people start to drop," Garbe said.
With that plan, Garbe hoped to finish in at least sixth place.
"I hoped to make the top six, which is a medal. Basically I was thinking anything above sixth is frosting on the cake," he said.
Near the one-mile mark of the 5,000-meter (3.1-mile) race, Garbe worked to catch the frontrunners of the race. The senior was between 10th and 15th before he started reeling in the leaders.
"I just didn't want to be in the group that went out real fast. Some people are idiots and want to say they led the state meet," he said.
With about two-thirds of the race completed, Garbe had a decision to make when the competition made a surge.
"I made a move with about a mile to go. It was a reaction to what the other guys were doing," Garbe said.
"I told myself if I wanted to do it, I have to do it here."
Garbe found himself in fifth place near the end and chose to go for more. Using the leg speed that helped him to a third-place finish in the 800-meter run at the WIAA State Track and Field Meet last May, Garbe switched gears in hopes of a higher finish.
"With about 400 to 800 meters to go, I made a move to catch the (third and fourth place) guys. I caught them, but I couldn't hold on to one of them," Garbe said.
The runner he outsprinted was Madison La Follette's Mike Szyryj. Garbe came up short trying to catch third-place finisher Curtis Johnson of DeForest and then collapsed in exhaustion once he crossed the finish line. His time of 16:05 was a personal best by five seconds.
Matt Esche of Waukesha West, a junior, won the race convincingly, covering the course in 15:42. Runner-up Brent Reiter of Shawano was 18 seconds behind, finishing in 16:00.
Garbe was so fatigued following the race that he stayed around the finish line area for almost an hour.
"I was really happy. I didn't look very happy," Garbe said. "Although it hurt a lot at the time, it felt great."
After looking back on the race, Garbe said it was his best ever. He said sometimes runners wonder if they could've finished any higher, but he knew he didn't have anything left to give.
"The whole race was a blur. You just get into a zone and you don't remember much. When I get into my good races, it's a blur," he said.
Another highlight of Garbe's senior season was his second straight Wisconsin Valley Conference individual title.
"Last year was unexpected. This year I really wanted to repeat as champion," he said. "It was great because there are not a lot of guys that have won conference twice. It's great to be with that caliber (of runners)."
His success during his senior season didn't come without a lot of work. In order to compete at the level he did, Garbe ran between 75 and 85 miles a week during peak training times before tapering to no more than 40 miles a week.