Thunder Frost isn’t looking to impress college coaches or land a scholarship this season.
In fact, the Kealakehe senior doesn’t have any desire to run at the next level.
But he has some unfinished business as far as his high school career goes.
His main goal is to break the 16-minute mark for the three-mile cross country race. A Big Island Interscholastic Federation title? That would be icing on the cake.
“I always come close to being BIIF champ, but I never do, because maybe I have a bad race,” he said. “I’d like to do that, too.”
Frost took second at the BIIF meet last year, finishing in 17:10.65, eight seconds behind Ian McQuate of Waiakea. He was sixth as a sophomore in 18:04.61.
He’d love to do well at the state meet, but he’s also realistic.
“Those guys are a little more nuts,” he said with a laugh. “Hopefully, maybe I can get top 10 or top five.”
Frost moved to the Big Island from Las Vegas when he was 10 years old and didn’t begin running until his freshman year after realizing that he had a much better chance of being successful on the cross country course than on the soccer pitch.
“I played soccer a little bit, but then I found out I had endurance and tried cross country,” he said. “I have no speed whatsoever.”
That lack of straight-out speed also limits Frost in track and field. He has competed in the sport in the past but is unsure if he will during his senior year.
He also is part of the Kealakehe Triathlon Club, but offers a brutally honest assessment of his skills in swimming and bicycling.
“I’m junk at those, though,” he said.
The triathlon training was just part of Frost’s summer workout program. He also did strength training and CrossFit. He worked out twice a day, six days a week.
He has entered some events — winning the Freedom and Fitness Forever 4-miler in the morning and the LavaKids 4th of July Liberty Fun Run in the evening — and trained with his coach this summer.
Frost can’t really explain what it is that drives him to run.
“Sometimes I feel like I hate it, but sometimes I feel like I like it,” he said. “It makes everything in life easier, I guess. It feels good.”
Mostly, he feels a need to provide a strong end to his high school career.
“Just because I started it, I have to finish it,” he said.
The BIIF cross country season starts at 10 a.m. Saturday when Christian Liberty hosts the Canefire Conditioner.
A new girls champion will be crowned this year since defending champion Kristiana Van Pernis of Hawaii Prep has graduated.