EDWARDSVILLE – Former Edwardsville cross-country and track distance runner Roland Prenzler finished third for the second consecutive year in the 24th annual Mud Mountain 5K race Saturday morning at SIU-Edwardsville, with a time of 16:15.57 on the course that he’ll be running on as a member of the Cougar cross-country team this coming fall.
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Prenzler has been training for the season ahead at SIUE and wasn’t completely prepared for this year’s race, but still was pleased with his performance and his time.
“I did alright,” Prenzler said in a post-race interview. “I wasn’t completely prepared for this, because I’m in the middle of training for the upcoming season, so I didn’t take any downtime. I took Monday off, but that was about it. So this has been just a normal training week. So, I could have prepared better, but this is not the pinnacle of the season, and overall, I thought I did well. I finished third last year, I got third this year. I think the time was a little bit slower, actually, but I think I prepped better last year just for this race. So I would say I’m satisfied.”
And Prenzler had the chance to run on what will be his home course for the next four years, and it was as good as he remembered it.
“It hasn’t changed since I last remembered it,” Prenzler said with a laugh and smile. “But it’s still a load of fun. I’m surprised there’s a lot of people out here come out to race. I saw a lot of familiar faces, it’s fun, not just racing, but also being able to look back and see a lot of people you know, and cheer them on. I think it’s more fun, that it’s a community event than it is just a race.”
Prenzler hasn’t yet set any goals for his first year running for the Cougars but does have a lofty ambition. And it’s something that will involve Mud Mountain as well.
“Not exactly sure yet, at the moment,” Prenzler said. “A coach has not been decided, as to my knowledge. So I’m not exactly sure what to expect, but I’m still setting a goal to finish all-conference at the Ohio Valley Conference meet, which will be held here at SIUE. So that’s the goal that I’ve set for myself.”
And Prenzler is looking forward to making the transition from high school to college competition.
“Yeah, it’s going to be interesting,” Prenzler said. “I’ve upped my mileage a little bit more to adjust to the 8K distance, but I don’t think it’ll be too much of a problem. I’ve been more inclined to the endurance side of a race rather than the speed side. So I don’t like to toot my horn, but I think I’ll adjust well.
“All glory to God,” Prenzler continued, “and this was an awesome day for a race and a community event.”
