11/29/2008
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Staff photo by David LeamingBY SCOTT MARTIN
Sports Editor
The cross country season got off to a terrific start for Kelton Cullenberg. The Mt. Blue High School junior ran just the race he wanted, finishing first at the Scot Laliberte Invitational at Cony High School.
Not much else went as planned this season for Cullenberg.
Six days after winning the Laliberte, Cullenberg had an appendectomy.
Cullenberg started running eight days after his surgery and soon after was competing again, but says he never felt the same until late in the season.
"When I first came back, it felt like something was empty in my lower stomach," Cullenberg said, "or like something was missing."
Still, Cullenberg finished sixth at the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A championship, third at the Eastern A regional and sixth in the Class A state championship.
For his effort, Cullenberg has been named the Morning Sentinel boys cross country runner of the year. Madison Area Memorial High School's Matt McClintock and Waterville Senior High School's Mike Nelson were also considered.
Cullenberg was lucky in the sense that he was able to have laproscopic surgery. Instead of one big incision, doctors made three small ones, according to Cullenberg's mother and coach Kelley Cullenberg.
Eight days after his surgery, Cullenberg was running again. He started out with one mile and worked his way up a mile a day, per instructions from Kelley Cullenberg.
Coach Cullenberg asked Kelton to take it easy in his first race back, Sept. 19 at Leavitt. Kelton followed those instructions for about a mile.
"I told him I'd really appreciate if you hang back for the first two miles and do what you want on the last mile," Coach Cullenberg said. "He ended up making it the first mile with his team and then ran a really fast second mile and really had to gut out the third mile."
Kelton worked his way back into shape by the end of the season and was at his best in the Eastern A regional. After finishing sixth at the KVAC A championship, Cullenberg finished in 16 minutes, 21.16 seconds at the Eastern A regional.
"I never felt the same until the regional meet," Kelton said. "Then I had a good meet. That is when I felt like it wasn't affecting me anymore. Up to then, I was really physically tired."
Cullenberg went on to finish sixth at the Class A championships and qualify for the New England championships. Still, he can't help but think about what might have been if not for his surgery.
"I really wanted to get a (personal record) first and I always really wanted the school record, which I'm about 12 seconds from right now," Kelton said. "I was also thinking about states, the possibility of a championship. Then I had the appendectomy."
Scott Martin -- 621-5618
smartin@centralmaine.com
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