He sees you, Todd Iacovelli. He’s kind of like Santa Claus; he sees you when he sleeps, he sees you when he’s doing hills, when he eats, when he hurts, when he needs motivation, when he’s got no reason to
He sees you, Todd Iacovelli.
He’s kind of like Santa Claus; he sees you
when he sleeps, he sees you when he’s doing hills, when he eats, when he hurts,
when he needs motivation, when he’s got no reason to run hard . . . he sees
you.
With any luck that is a vision that will pay dividends for Kaua’i
cross country runner Jhewiss Cadiente as he prepares for Saturday’s state
championship race on the Big Island.
Iacovelli, a senior from Punahou, is
quite possibly the top runner in the state. He finished fifth last year, won
the Punahou Invitational back in September and has been the image driving
Cadiente since the two were sophomores.
“I actually remember seeing him
when we were running track,” Cadiente said. “He was
running really well
there, so I just assumed he was going to be a force come cross country season,
and he was.”
So, as Cadiente has been winning Kaua’i Interscholastic
Federation meets this season by an average of 62 seconds, he has set his sights
on Iacovelli’s image.
Fact is, the absence of a tangible Iacovelli-like
figure in the KIF may prove detremental to Cadiente at the state meet.
“All
of my pushing has come from within,” Cadiente said, exuding humbleness in tune
with confidence. “When I’m running in the meets on the island, I just have to
think about how fast the guys on the state level are going.”
Iacovelli ran
a 16:42 at the Punahou Invitational; Cadiente ran a 17:27 at the KIF finale
October 28.
“But that time was with nobody pushing me,” Cadiente said. “I
think I can run a 16:45, and I’m looking to get a medal.”
A lofty goal,
considering his all-time best is a 17:20, but a cut in time that Cadiente will
have as good a chance as any to make. If he does, he will have his heart, will
and workout regimine to thank.
The latter is quite remarkable, keeping in
mind Cadiente also carries a 3.8 GPA at Kaua’i High School, and has dabbled in
Advanced Placement courses.
Every weekday morning, Cadiente rolls out of
bed, straps on his shoes and goes to wake the roosters up, at 4:30. He is up to
run “five easy miles” before school starts. Then, after school, head cross
country coach Tom Cox delivers a “3 1/2 to 4 mile workout.”
Saturday,
Cadiente runs in/wins the KIF meet.
Sunday is not a day off. The 17 year
old is up early to run one hour in a swimming pool. In the afternoon, he hits
the streets again for a “75-minute continuous run,” that usually works out “to
about nine miles.”
“Jhewiss is just a mad crazy runner,” teammate Stan
Hashimoto said. “He runs when he has to. He runs when he doesn’t have
to.
“He is just very committed to what he’s doing out there. He is driven
to run.”
Which he proves by rolling from cross country into the track
season.
There he runs the 800-meter, along with the one- and two-mile
races.
“I would say that track is more my favorite than cross country,”
Cadiente said. “I like the fact that there is a stadium and fans cheering. Out
here [on the cross country course] you’re on your own.”
If Cadiente had his
druthers, his ability to run would carry him right into college. He is looking
at a school in Nebraska, and one in California. Once there, Cadiente thinks
physical therapy or sports medicine would pique his interest.
But for now,
there is the matter of a state championship, and a certain Iacovelli to run
down.
Note: Look for the names of all the participants – both boys and
girls – in the cross country state competition in Thursday’s Garden
Island.
Kaua’i cross country runner Jhewiss Cadiente paces himself
during a meet earlier this season. He will lead the Raiders into the state meet
Saturday on the Big Island.
Photo by DENNIS
FUJIMOTO, Staff
