Sophomore track and cross country distance runner Theo Kahler soars to new heights
Theo Kahler is a sophomore distance runner on the cross country and track teams at Winthrop. He is from Columbia, South Carolina, and is majoring in political science.
Unlike most successful college athletes, Kahler didn’t begin competing in his sport until his junior year of high school. Despite his late start, Kahler has managed to make a name for himself in distance running.
“After playing soccer most of my life, I wanted a change and so I decided to pick up cross country because I was good at the running part of soccer conditioning,” said Kahler. This proved to be a good decision because in his two years of high school running, Kahler was the state runner-up in the 3200m, a 3-time All-State selection and 7-time region champion.
Kahler decided to come to Winthrop because he wanted to find a small liberal arts school where he could be in a competitive setting. “I felt that Winthrop was the right combination of affordable as well as academically strong,” said Kahler. He loved that the team was close with one another, and he has been able to become a crucial part of the team.
Since becoming an Eagle, Kahler has made waves in the cross-country community. He has consistently competed well, but even more so this year. At the 2018 Big South Indoor Conference Championships, Kahler placed sixth in the 5k and eighth in the 3k. On March 17, Kahler competed at the 49er Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he ran the third-fastest time in school history in the 5k, running 14:37. Kahler, as well as the rest of the Winthrop Athletics family, are very proud of his accomplishment!
Running is a physically and mentally taxing sport. Kahler believes that the most difficult part about running is being disciplined and self-motivated. “There is no room to be lazy or slack off because you know there are a lot of people out there who aren’t doing that,” said Kahler. He emphasized the importance of constantly finding ways to stay motivated to keep on the right track.
The difficult parts of distance running are certainly outweighed by the positives for Kahler. His favorite part of running is that it is up to the individual athlete to perform when the time comes. Although he enjoys the team aspect, he likes that he can train on his own and still be successful without always having to rely on others.
Outside of cross country and track, Kahler is a Winthrop Ambassador and member of the Johnsonian family as a copy editor. He enjoys going to concerts, watching Duke basketball and playing ping pong in his free time.
