Charlie Kern Jr. was born one year after York senior Donald Sage won the 1999 Class AA boys cross country championship.
Growing up as a runner in Elmhurst, the York sophomore is unfazed about talking about the tradition of the “Long Green Line.”
But being compared to Sage, a four-time state medalist and perhaps the best boys cross country runner in the school’s storied history, is a different story.
York coach Joe Newton, who is in his 55th season coaching the Dukes, told Dyestat that he thinks Kern can be even better than Sage.
“It’s almost unreal to be compared (to Sage),” said Kern, who placed eighth in last year’s state meet after joining the varsity midway through the season. “To be on track to be that successful, it’s crazy. I still have a long way to go. I know I cannot rely only on my talent. I have to work hard to stay on my trajectory.”
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Running is more than a hobby, it’s a way of life for Charlie Kern and his family. His father, Charlie Kern Sr., was a state track and field champion from upstate New York and his mother, Lynne (Segretti) Kern, was the first two-time state cross country medalist for Hinsdale Central when she placed 23rd in 1982 and 15th in 1984. She went on to become a cross country coach at Plainfield Central.
Charlie Kern Sr. is a social studies teacher at York and has been an assistant coach to Newton for nearly 20 years. Charlie Kern Sr. is set to enter his second season next spring as York’s boys track and field coach.
Charlie Kern Jr. grew up each summer attending his father’s running camp held along the Prairie Path in Elmhurst. This summer, Charlie Kern Sr. had nearly 400 kids from second to fifth grade enrolled in his five-week camp, which meets three days a week.
Even when they have their running shoes off, the two Charlie Kerns spend a lot of time involved with the sport. . They recently viewed video at home together of a national high school cross country meet. The two Kerns also watched last year’s Nike Team Nationals, a race that Charlie Kern and his teammates hope to qualify for after this season.
Charlie Kern Jr. said he watched the Nationals to take notes on when runners make their move to the front.
“It definitely got me excited,” Charlie Kern Jr. said. “I was thinking, Oh, I could be there one day.”
“(Running) is the common denominator,” Charlie Kern Sr. said. “That’s the thing we value so much outside of our household — running.”
Palatine Invite
York won its first invitational this season on Saturday, Sept. 26, by scoring 88 points at the Palatine Invitational. Kern (14 minutes, 51.4 seconds) placed seventh to lead a Dukes pack that included Max Denning (14th) and Jon May (17th).
Twitter @geomwilcox