By JEFF GLUCK
Staff reporter
12/22/2002

When he was in seventh grade, Chad Darlington's parents couldn't pick him up from school until 4:30 every afternoon.

To pass the time, he ran. He ran around while playing soccer. He ran around while playing tag.

Five years later, Darlington ran right into being named The News Journal's boys cross country runner of the year. He also was the coaches' selection as this year's most valuable runner.

"I love running so much," said Darlington, a senior at St. Mark's. "I'll be happy to do it anywhere."

Darlington isn't kidding. Over the summer, he estimates he ran 75 miles per week.

"My mom always says, 'I wonder how many miles those feet have seen,'" he said.

Those miles may have added up to a real cross-country run - all the way across the United States.

"If not," he said, "I'm pretty close."

Sure, Darlington has some other interests. He's a dedicated student. He loves to hang out with his friends, occas- sionally making home movies for fun.

But Darlington's passion is running. It is why he ran for 60 to 90 minutes, five days a week during the summer. On the other two days, Darlington only ran for 45 minutes.

All of his hard work paid off this season. Darlington took first place at the University of Delaware Invitational, the Bellevue Invitational and the New Castle County meet.

But when the state championship arrived, Darlington had an off day.

"I didn't carry the start," he said. "In past years, I think it was mental, and I overtrained. I had confidence this year."

Darlington finished fourth, 11 seconds behind Salesianum runner Ryan Hamill's time of 16:28.

So, on the day of the state cross country banquet, when Darlington was announced as the top runner, he was surprised.

"I really didn't expect it at all," he said. "I didn't think I had a chance, because I didn't win states."

Darlington's Forrest Gump-like commitment to running won't end when he finishes high school. He plans to continue running in college and is considering Delaware, West Chester, James Madison and Quinnipiac.

Darlington recorded the top times at two of the state's five major courses this year. He ran a 16:14 at Bellevue State Park, 11 seconds ahead of the next-closest time. He also recorded a 16:24 at White Clay Creek, 13 ticks ahead of second place.

And, as one might expect, Darlington hasn't stopped running. He started training for the indoor season last week.