Taylor chases goals around island

Published 4:00 pm Saturday, November 4, 2006

The senior wants to finish well at the state meet in Pasco.

Bevan Taylor can’t begin to estimate how many times he’s traveled the island by foot.

“It’s a lot of running,” he said Tuesday at cross country practice. “I get to get out and see the sights.”

While he could probably make a good living as a tour guide of Bainbridge, Taylor is more interested in improving himself to be at the top of his game in the high school running world.

The senior co-captain is currently in Pasco for the 3A state cross country meet at the Sun Willows Golf Course.

It’s his second straight year qualifying for the meet.

Junior co-captain Emily Farrar is making her second straight appearance at the state meet as well. The 3A girls race is at 1 p.m., while the 3A boys race is at 2 p.m.

“It’s really cool,” Taylor said. “Last year was my first time there, so I didn’t really race well.

“This year, I’m really looking forward to it. I’m not nervous at all. ”

Head coach Dean Tarbill said he felt that Taylor had the ability to go far, even when he first turned out for cross country and track back in 2003 when he was a freshman.

“I saw potential in him,” he said. “The potential was in his desire, his intimate love and enjoyment of running.

“He was small and gangly, but there was a desire (to improve.) He put in a lot of work and followed the lead of his fellow captains at the time, and listened to his community coaches.”

Taylor may not have blown anyone away that year – “I think I (finished) in the 100s,” he said – but lived up to Tarbill’s favorite credo: “Champions are made in the offseason.”

From that time on, during the winter and summer months, between cross country and track, Taylor could be seen running here, there and everywhere.

“I did a lot of running in the winter,” he said. “Mostly four to five days, but sometime I (ran) seven days a week. I was doing at least six miles every day. Sometimes I did ten and a half or 11 miles. It’s a lot of running, but I like it.”

The improvement showed immediately, as he made it to state as a junior last year in cross country and in track when he qualified in the 1600 mile run.

This season, Taylor has been in the top three in all of the Metro meets, set a new course record at the Fort Worden Invite with a time of 16:18 and has improved on his personal best times all season.

“I always wanted (to improve,) Taylor said. “My freshman year I was just trying it (cross country) out, then the next year I really wanted to make it to districts.

“So I did that and it was really cool, then next year I wanted to make state and I did that,” he continued. “This year I want to place in the top 10 or top 20 at state.

“Your goals get a little bit higher every year.”

Taylor also gets a thrill out of competing with the top runners in his league, such as 3A state champ Max O’Donoghue-McDonald of Seattle Prep, Abdi Hassan of Nathan Hale, and Jeremy Swenson and Sean Morris of Bishop Blanchet.

“I saw these kids and they were in my grade and they always seemed like they were older, because they were really fast,” he said. “I just thought they were really, really cool. It’s cool being able to run with them. They know my name now. It’s cool to meet the kids from other schools.”

O’Donoghue-McDonald knows who Taylor is, after the Spartan defeated him in the 1600 at home last April.

“I was just blown away by that,” he said. “I went into the race thinking that I’d get beat, but I didn’t, so that was really cool.”

Taylor’s hard work has gotten him to where he wants to be, but he also comes by it genetically.

Taylor’s family is a “fit” one, as his parents Elizabeth and Stuart Taylor are avid hikers while his dad runs as well.

His sister Annie, a freshman, is the number three runner for the girls team, and Taylor couldn’t be more proud of her.

“It’s great seeing her at number three on varsity,” he said. “For a freshman, she’s doing really well and I’m excited to see how she does in the future.”

Taylor has an aunt who ran competitively, even participating in the Olympic Trials and winning the Emerald City Marathon in the 80s.

“They really encouraged me to run,” he said of his parents’ support. “My dad really gets into it and looks up all the scores and times.”

But Taylor already knows the meet will be a challenge to place at, as the 3A classification is arguably the toughest in the state.

“The six guys that beat me at our district meet (O’Donoghue-McDonald, Hassan, Skyline’s Matt Frerker, Morris, Skyline’s Simon Sorenson, Swenson) all but one of those guys was in the top 10 at state,” he said. “But I know I can hold my own against them.”

After the state meet, Taylor will take some time off and get ready for his true love, track.

He plans to run the 800, then 1600 and the 4×400 relay, where Taylor thinks they’ll head to state in that event after just missing out last year.

When he graduates, he’ll attend a small liberal arts college like Willamette, Linfield, the University of Santa Clara or Lewis and Clark, or a D-I school like the University of Montana or Idaho and study archaeology, history or the natural sciences.

But no matter where he goes or what he does, Taylor will keep on running.

“I definitely want to run competitively in college, and after that we’ll see how it goes,” he said.

“It’s really hard to make it as an American in the competitive running world, but as long as I enjoy it, I’m sure I’ll run.”