Home at last for Lowell distance star Kyle Eller

LOWELL | Every distance runner loves his home course. Lowell's Kyle Eller loves just having a real home, finally.

A dad in the military can be rough.

"I was born in Virginia, then we moved to Montana, then Germany, and now I live here," Eller said. "I used to run for fun to get away from school, and now that I've moved on in cross country, I've started to enjoy running a lot more.

"It's not just a sport. It's a hobby now."

The Red Devils' No. 1 runner has played other sports, including a season of eighth-grade football while living in Germany. 

He said this sport and this team are where he was always meant to be.

"Football is a good sport but cross country ... you get to know the team a lot more," he said. "You have a lot of inside jokes and more personal stories with them."

Eller, a junior, transferred in the summer before his sophomore year. Paperwork delays made him miss the first eight weeks of the season, which coach Jake Rakoczy said hurt Eller's training.

"Moving here last year, I was kinda 'iffy' on training and I wasn't used to the competition and the workouts we had here," said Eller, who had the same problem last track season.

Now he's finding his stride, with a personal best time is of 15:52 at the Highland Invitational. He was second at the Northwest Crossroads Conference Meet, had the ninth-fastest time at the New Prairie Invite and was runner-up at the Bob Thomas Invitational.  

A devout Baptist whose faith means more than any awards podium, Eller has no trouble now staying focused.

"I know without (God), I couldn't really be here. He's given me the opportunity to be on a good team and have a really good coach," Eller said.

Rakoczy, a 1995 Hebron grad, calls Eller a student of the game who soaks in all he can about the region's other elite runners by reading the newspapers and the internet, and studying opponents' strategies.

"That's what gives him an edge. He really loves the sport," Rakoczy said. "He really started coming around in track. If it wasn't for a lackluster pace at the beginning of his 3,200 race at sectionals, he would've qualified for regionals.

"He's certainly got the ability to be an all-stater before it's all said and done. That's the top 25 kids in the state, guys running a 15:30. I can say that with confidence."