Growing up, Christian Foehrkolb played football and baseball, but there was something missing.

When he spoke to his neighbor and future teammate Shawn Woodring about cross country, Foehrkolb found his niche.

“Shawn was running for the high school team, and he told me about the sport,” recalled Foehrkolb. “I was really interested, and he motivated me about the sport.

“After my first meet in seventh grade, I knew this was for me. I gave it my all.”

Now a junior, Foehrkolb has paced the Zephyr harriers throughout this season. He recently hit a personal best of 18.25 in a meet against Pocono Mountain West.

“Christian is our team’s number one runner,” said Zephyrs’ head coach Mike Lelko. “He got quality workouts in during the summer, getting in miles on the ground and strength in the weight room.

“If he stays focused on his goals, he can only get better.”

Reaching his maximum wasn’t always easy for Foehrkolb. He remembered literally starting slowly in middle school, and gradually lowering his times.

“In middle school, I was working to get under 30 minutes,” he noted. “For me, it was about staying focused on the race. There was stress involved, and I knew I had to work through the pain.

“That was the hardest part for me.”

With last year’s season being adjusted due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Foehrkolb made his adjustments. He set his sights on competing with current senior Gavin Hagley.

“I started training on my own, and I knew I had to go up and beyond what was expected,” stressed Foehrkolb, who is a junior. “I was trying to run around the 18-minute mark. Gavin Hagley was our best runner at the time, and I wanted to be right there with him.

“Eventually, I wanted to work to surpass his time. Now, he and I are pretty evenly matched.”

Foehrkolb credits the constant support of his father, James, who played football and participated in track and field in high school.

“My dad is always at all my meets,” said Foehrkolb. “He has pushed me to be the best that I can be. He has been a real inspiration, and has helped me reach where I am today.”

Foehrkolb would like to continue his running career in college, and he has current aspirations of pursuing a career in the United States Army after high school. He has expressed an interest in joining the military since sixth grade

If he begins a college career, Foehrkolb wants to study criminal justice in hopes of becoming a policeman, as his uncle is one.

Until then, he will be a focal point for the team.

“With two EPC (East Penn Conference) meets and championships remaining, he (Foehrkolb) is expected to get faster and lower his 5K time,” added Lelko.