Charlotte Nawor knows what it feels like to not be able to run. That’s why she likes to lead the pack when she races.
At the Lake County Invitational on April 30, the Highland Park junior competed in the 1,600-meter run. Before the start, Nawor spoke with distance coach Andy Butler.
“She was talking about running in the pack. I said, ‘You and I both know you run best when you run from the front,’ ” Butler said. “And that’s what she did.”
Nawor led the race from start to finish. Her winning time of 5 minutes, 4.26 seconds easily surpassed that of runner-up Isabelle Sparreo of Stevenson (5:08.48). The swift time broke the Highland Park record she set six days earlier during a meet at Rolling Meadows.
As a team, Highland Park finished third behind runner up Grant and champion Warren. The Giants had two other first-place winners — senior Savannah Sledd in the shot put (38-08) and senior Kiera Thorpe in the triple jump (35-02.50).
Nawor stood out. It’s not often an athlete breaks a school record, let alone her own (and in a span of seven days).
“It’s really exciting. I wasn’t expecting it,” Nawor said.
Making the accomplishment even better is the fact that a year ago, Nawor couldn’t run due to a medical condition.
After a hard summer of training in 2013, Nawor felt unusually fatigued by the start of the school year.
“I was having a lot of trouble breathing. I was falling asleep in school. It was affecting me everywhere,” she said.
She underwent a battery of tests. Doctors could not give a her definitive diagnosis. Nawor missed all of the 2013 cross country season.
“It was really hard watching my teammates go out there. It’s a daily part of my life and there’s definitely a feeling you miss [running] a lot,” Nawor said.
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Butler added: “The doctors didn’t know what the problem was. She was scared.”
Nawor eventually received good news — her condition was the result of an iron deficiency. She began to take a supplement. Her strength returned. She competed in a few events near the end of the 2014 track season.
After training all summer, Nawor had an excellent 2014 cross country season. She earned an all-state medal at the Class 3A state meet by finishing in 21st place. Her cross country season proved to be a springboard into the indoor and outdoor track seasons. At the Lake County meet, she ran as she has all season — out in front, forcing the competition to catch her from behind.
“This was the first meet where she had some good competition to run with. Mentally she’s very tough. She wants to lead from the start,” Butler said. “She loves the sport and its one of those things when someone takes something away from that you love, she takes advantage of every opportunity.”
Nawor agreed with Butler’s assessment of her attitude on the track.
“I feel like I have an opportunity and I have to go as hard as I can as I don’t know what the future will bring,” Nawor said. “It’s motivating me this year and I have a new appreciation for every race.”
Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @prepspioneer