Friday, September 21, 2012

Running All Summer

Last summer, rising sophomore Nic Win competed in the Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon

The 2012 Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon brought out more than 22,000 competitors.  One of those was our own Nic Win.  It was his first ever marathon.
"I felt like I needed to do something big," Nic said.
Nic finished 288th out of 1657 male finishers, and 355th out of 3094 total finishers.  His time of 3:40:55 put him at an average pace of 8:26 per mile.  Despite his outstanding performance in his first ever effort in the 26.2 mile race, it wasn't easy. 
"The training for it was hard," he said.  "And during the race, refusing to believe that my body was giving up on me after the 20 mile mark was also pretty tough."  Nic made it through the first 20 miles in a blistering 2:32:59.
"It's fun realizing that I was one of hundreds of people running in the event.  It's fun to realize what people are actually capable of."
Nic plans on continuing his distance running endeavors in his off-seasons from swimming.  "It's always nice to be reminded about what sports are all about," he says.  "It's good to get a different  perspective."

During his first year at Whitman, Nic was a dominant force in both the 100 and 200 backstroke and the 200 IM.  At the NWC Championships Nic placed 4th in the 200 IM with a time of 1:56.48, the second fastest time in Whitman history and just .05 off the school record.  He followed his 200 IM with a 5th place performance in the 100 backstroke with a time of 53.03, also the second fasted in Whitman history, bested only by fellow Freshman Kevin O'Leary who set the Whitman record time with a 52.86.  Nic was also 7th at the NWC Championships in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:58.54.  He ranks 3rd all-time at Whitman in that event.  Finally, Nic was a member of both the 200 and 400 medley relay teams.  Both of them set school records at the NWC Championships.

When asked what he's most looking forward to about the 2012-2013 season Nic said simply, "Winning something big."