He runs between 70 and 90 miles a week.

He is calm, cool and collected before every meet.

He ties his shoes the exact same way every time.

He is a junior exercise science major.

He is a cross-country athlete.

He is Matt Feldhake.

“My biggest accomplishments are being Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) 3000 meter Track National Champion and 2nd Team All-OVC in cross-country as a sophomore,” Feldhake said.

Feldhake said he loves to run because he loves having the ability to push his mind and body to and beyond its absolute limits.

But even cross-country athletes find something to hate about running.

“My least favorite things about being a cross-country runner are eating healthy, lifting, morning runs,” Feldhake said. “I have wanted to quit before when I was a junior in high school and I overcame it by talking to my friends, family and coach and they sort of talked some sense into me.”

Through eating healthy, weight lifting, and running up to 90 miles every week, Feldhake stays motivated.

“My motivation is to be the best. Not only to be better than other competitors but also to simply be better than myself,” Feldhake said.

Feldhake has been running AAU track since he was in third-grade and hopes running will stay a part of his life in the future.

“I have always been around running because my dad was a high school track and cross-country coach so I have been around it since birth and I just started doing AAU stuff at the earliest age that I could. I had been doing 5000 meter races since I was like six or seven.”

Feldhake is an Effingham native. He had the opportunity to visit with the coaching staff and the cross-country team before choosing to attend Eastern.

“I came to EIU because I loved the team and coaching staff. It was close to home but not too close and they have great facilities and a rich distance running tradition,” Feldhake said, “I came for an official visit as a senior and the guys treated me like I was already on the team. It was great and I knew right away this was where I wanted to be.”

Feldhake’s future goals are to graduate, get a job coaching track, and to be a good husband and father.

Rob Warren can be reached at 581-7942 or at denphotodesk@gmail.com.

Matt Feldhake runs around campus as part of his off-season training for Eastern’s cross-country team. (Photo Illustration by Rob Warren/The Daily Eastern News)

(more…)