Larsen finds spot as mid-distance runner at Iowa Central

DES MOINES — When former Mount Ayr state champion Noah Larsen began the indoor track season at Iowa Central in the winter, he wasn’t sure if he’d be a distance runner or a mid-distance runner for the Tritons.

He eventually took on a role as a mid-distance runner for Iowa Central and returned to the Drake Relays here Friday, where he helped the Triton men finish third in the College Division 4x800 relay.

“We weren’t sure if I was going to be a distance guy or mid-distance,” Larsen said. “The head coach (and mid-distance coach) Denny Myers said, ‘we’ll keep you for indoors and see how that goes,’ and throughout the year I ran a lot of 1,000s and 800s. I was running PRs already during the indoor season, so I was looking forward to outdoors.”

Larsen has blossomed into a reliable 800-meter runner for the Tritons during the outdoor season.

On March 28, Larsen ran 1:55.36 for ninth place at Arkansas University. On April 18, he split a 1:54 for the Tritons in the 4x800 relay at the Sioux City Relays on a rain-soaked track.

Friday, he returned to Drake’s blue oval for the first time since winning three state championships and a team title for the Raiders to run on Iowa Central’s 4x800 relay.

Larsen ran the second leg for the Tritons, breaking out of a pack of runners to emerge in second place with 300 meters to go in his leg.

“At that point, about 300 to go, I kind of felt like the pack was kind of slacking a little bit,” Larsen said. “I saw an opportunity to make a move there and so just kind of tried to pick it up and stride out. Felt pretty good when I made the move and worked into second.”

The Iowa Central freshman faded a bit down the homestretch in the final 100 meters, but still managed a 1:54.1 carry for the Tritons.

The Tritons went into the final leg of the race in second place, before finishing third overall in 7:35.74. Oklahoma Baptist won in 7:31.73, with Wartburg College second in 7:32.32.

“Coming into it, we had some pretty high expectations for ourselves,” Larsen said. “Ran pretty well at the Sioux City Relays, so it was a good confidence-booster coming into the Drake Relays. We all had our eyes set on that first place, but we all came together and ran well today. I’m glad with what we did today. Proud of the guys.”

Other members of the Triton relay team sophomores Josh Prohaska, Dean Cronin and Dylan Eigenberger.

“Three of us are Iowa kids, so getting to run at Drake was pretty great,” Larsen said. “I’m really happy to be a part of the team.”

An increased presence in the weight room has made Larsen a stronger runner, and has given him more confidence in his abilities on the track.

“We did a lot of lifting during the indoor season,” he said. “I’ve just been able to watch some changes in my body and I’ve even grown. Just being able to see improvement in the weight room gives me confidence when I step out on the track to know I’ll be a little bit quicker.”

Larsen hopes that confidence will lead to him qualifying for the NJCAA Outdoor National Championships this season.

The Tritons travel to the Region XI Championships in Council Bluffs at Iowa Western Community College on Friday and Saturday.

“I think I’m probably going to run the 1,500 and can probably still qualify in that,” Larsen said. “Haven’t really been in a fast heat in the 1,500. I ran 4:10 last weekend in a slow heat. Regionals, I know there will be lots of fast runners. Hopefully get a good time down and qualify for the national meet.”

The NJCAA Outdoor National Championships begin May 14 in Hutchison, Kan.