Lawrence Township resident Natalie Klek starts this season as Notre Dame’s number 4 cross country runner. (Photo by Wes Kirkpatrick.)
It is said that “music hath charms to soothe a savage beast,” but Natalie Klek has put a new spin on that old quotation. In Klek’s world, music hath charms to soothe the savage feet…and legs.
The Lawrence Township resident is a junior member of the Notre Dame High cross country team and started the season as the Irish’s No. 4 runner. She is also in the ND band, jazz band and chamber orchestra, playing the electric bass guitar.
During her often grueling cross country workouts, when her body is being savaged by the pounding it takes, Klek combines her two interests.
“When I’m running, I count to the beat of music,” she said. “That way, I don’t focus on my legs that are killing me, or that I can’t breathe right.”
And Klek is one of those runners who doesn’t shy away from pain or hard work, which has pleased head coach Russ Forsythe.
“She ran a couple varsity meets last year and basically got her letter, but you could see her desire to work,” Forsythe said. “She worked hard at practice and over the summer she worked really hard. She followed the schedule and showed up in shape, so I was very impressed with that. She has really improved.”
The coach added that once Klek gets a little more confidence, her times will drop significantly as the season goes on. This is just her second year running cross country, and she left nothing to chance over the summer.
“Forsythe runs these summer practices and hardly anyone goes because it’s summer and it’s hot,” she said with a laugh. “But I went to every single one and ran every single day. I’m proud of myself because I did work hard. My teammates were impressed that I kept coming so I couldn’t let down, I had to keep working at it.”
The team practices were twice a week, but Forsythe expected the girls to run on their own the other days, which Klek did by cruising the trails of Village Park and Rosedale Park.
“That’s probably the most important thing, running by yourself and keeping up with it,” she said.
Klek’s athletic career started with the Lawrence Hamnett soccer program at age 4. She continued to play, but when she attended St. Ann’s in 6th grade, Natalie gained an interest in track and ran the 800 in the spring.
She stuck with the running in high school and enjoyed the coaching style of Forsythe, who coached the Notre Dame girls in the spring. By the fall of her sophomore year, she abandoned soccer for cross country, although she officiates in the Hamnett’s youngest division to stay involved in the sport.
“She came out for winter track and spring track and I guess she liked it so much she decided to start running cross country after that,” said Forsythe, adding with a laugh, “I might have put a little heat on her too.”
He didn’t have to apply too much, however, as Klek was ready to make the move.
“I kind of outgrew soccer,” she said. “I wasn’t enjoying it too much. I really enjoyed running, so I made the switch. When you’re running long distances, you see how far you’ve gone and you feel like you accomplished something. And I like my teammates, they’re great.”
Asked what she enjoys most about running long distances, Klek said “I like it when you’re in the middle of the woods and it’s you and you’re breathing and focused on what you’re doing. It’s really calming. You don’t need anything else but you and your sneakers.”
Klek’s best time last season came at Veterans Park in Hamilton when she ran a 23:30. Her goals for this season are to continue to lower her times and make a contribution to the team.
“I expect her to be in the 22s by the end of the season,” Forsythe said. “She’s well ahead of where she was last year. This is a strong team, we had some freshmen emerge who we weren’t counting on, and a transfer, but I expect her to be with the varsity all season.”
In assessing her ability, Forsythe said that Klek is built more along the lines of an 800 runner than a classic distance runner, but that her mindset is totally that of a distance runner. She plans on doing the two-mile in track this year.
“She’s the type of runner that, no matter what times she runs, she always knows she can do better,” Forsythe said. “She’ll be like ‘I know I can do better and I will do better next time.’ That’s what I like about her.”
Klek’s times kept dropping last year until she began rehearsal for Notre Dame’s presentation of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” in which she played Mayella Ewell.
Natalie has been in plays longer than she has done sports, as her first performance came in Kindergarten. She said her biggest role came in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, when they divided the lead character into two parts and she played the role of the Candy Man.
“I try out for shows and I make them, but I wouldn’t consider myself an actor,” Klek said.
She has decided to put her stage career on hold for now, after seeing how it affected her times last year.
“I’m not going with the fall show, I’m going to stick with the running now,” she said. “Not running every day can really mess you up.”
Which is why she worked so hard in the summer. Klek is the only person in her family who runs, but she does have a partner in her mom’s friend, Michelle McDonald.
“She ran at Notre Dame (in the ’80s) and had the school record in the mile or two mile at one time, but I think it got broken,” Klek said. “It’s good to have someone to run with, it keeps you focused.”
Then again, if she’s by herself, Klek can always focus on her music.
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