Discipline, faith have made Gilbert's William Wadsley one of top distance runners in Iowa

Gilbert senior William Wadsley has a huge passion for running and singing.

“I can’t put one above the other,” Wadsley said. “I love everything.”

Wadsley had to make a choice Tuesday. He attended the Iowa Vocal Jazz Championships and missed Gilbert's opening outdoor meet at Nevada.

Now he's eager to show what he can do on the track. After a banner cross country season that saw him place fifth at state in Class 3A, Wadsley has earned a spot as one of the top distance runners in the state.

“I’m hoping to get a top-five spot in the 3,200,” Wadsley said. “I haven’t really looked too much at where times are going this year, but top five would be a really good goal.”

Running has always been a joy for Wadsley, who will continue his career in college at Central.

“It’s super relaxing for me,” Wadsley said. “I can just decompress and think about what’s gone on in my day.”

Wadsley said it's very good for stress relief and it also gives him time to reflect on his faith.

“A lot of people run with music and I don’t run with music at all,” Wadsley said. “I really like to think about everything that’s going on and I am very religious so sometimes I’ll pray. It’s really good for my mind and my body.”

But even though he enjoys running for both his physical and mental health, there is also a competitive side to Wadsley that has enabled him to compete with the best distance runners in the state.

“There are days where I do not want to run,” Wadsley said. “The competitive part of me is always like...everybody else is going to run today, you’ve got to make sure you’re getting consistent work in and constantly pushing yourself in workouts.”

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Wadsley also takes advantage of the training that he's attained through singing to become a better runner.

“There’s certainly breath control,” Wadsley said. “When you’re singing you have to focus on where you’re breathing in your body and compress the air to get it in the right tone. When you’re running, especially in a workout, you also want to control your breathing. When it comes to the arts and sports, they both have a pretty common discipline. You need to be able to be disciplined to be able to do this, you can’t be lazy and skip practice or anything.”

That dedication has impressed both his coaches and teammates.

"I know he can be a leader not just for the distance runners but for the whole team," Gilbert coach Joel Franzen said. "Like all the seniors I ask them to be leaders for our team.  I am ready for William to have a great year."

Junior Zane Mueller will run in both the 800 and 1,600 with Wadsley. He loves getting to compete against an elite runner every day in practice."

“Running with William makes the meets a lot more fun,” Mueller said. “We’re definitely different runners. Having him around definitely pushes me. I want to beat him at one of these races.”

Wadsley credits Gilbert assistant coach and head cross country coach Aaron Thomas for helping him reach the level he is at. He's found he's more successful the longer the race goes.

“Coach Thomas is a really good coach,” Wadsley said. “He gave me this book I read my sophomore year called Consistency Is Key (by Jay Johnson) and that really helped me. Coach and I have been talking a lot about the difference between speed and aerobic ability. You’re breathing and what your legs can actually do. The 800 is a lot more speed and I have a much more aerobic compacity.”

He wants to not only place high in the 3,200, but to improve on his 21st-place finish in the 1,600 at last year's state meet.

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Wadsley would also like to be part of a relay team at state, even if that means having to run the 800.

“I’m really hoping to get together a good 4x800 team together,” Wadsley said. “There is a lot of potential for our 4x8 team.”

Making state in three or maybe even four events would be the perfect capper to Wadsley's career at Gilbert.

“I was 3,200 and 1,600 last year,” Wadsley said. “I’d really like to try and get another event in there.”

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Gilbert's William Wadsley is one of the top distance runners in Iowa