Over four years at High School South, Nikhil Pulimood forged a reputation as one of the top distance runners in New Jersey. So when he graduated last year and moved on to Duke, the Pirate cross country squad needed a runner to fill the No. 1 spot. Senior Tim Bason, left, who previously served as the team’s No. 2 runner, was that athlete.
That’s not to say Bason wasn’t Pulimood’s equal. The runner often finished closely behind, sometimes ahead, and had the second-best finish for a South cross country runner at last year’s Meet of Champions, coming in ninth place.
“I have very, very high goals for him,” South head coach Kurt Wayton said. “I think that Bason is one of the top talents in America. I think he has the background training to support that. This year I’m just looking for him to make the mental adjustment to becoming more or less ‘the man.’”
It’s something that South runners have had to do before, most recently when twins Jacob and Dan Riff graduated in 2013, and when Tom Vinci graduated the following year.
Last year Bason also performed well at the spring track and field Meet of Champions, finishing third in the 1,600 meters.
Wayton attributes some of that success and consistency to Bason’s biomechanics and endurance capabilities.
“I do believe that he’s one of several runners that I’ve had who has the physical, mental, and emotional capabilities to succeed at any level,” Wayton said. “Ninety-nine percent of the people who run next to Tim, they’re expending more energy than he is. He’s just hinged in perfect coordination.
“The kid is just poetry in motion. You could see that as a freshman, he was a little guy but he just did not use the same amount of energy as other kids did. What we’ve been able to do is develop other things around that, which is speed and of course endurance.”
But Bason has a tall task in filling the void left by Pulimood. Wayton said there is pressure on Bason to become the No. 1 runner this year.
“I’ve definitely trained harder than I ever have,” Bason said. “It’s a big role to really have everything focused on you.”
In South’s first meet of the season, Bason finished fifth with a time of 17:16.
“If he’s going to make the break between being a really, really good runner and a really all-time legend, is if he is able to hit those splits in practice day to day. He’s been getting better at the process, and that’s the most important,” Wayton said.
Wayton also added that Bason’s background in training has helped him reach the No. 1 spot. South’s cross country team focuses on strength-based training and also works with endurance and consistency, another of Bason’s traits.
“He is an incredible personality in practice. He is a kind, giving soul,” Wayton said. “He goes out there each and every day and supports, pushes. He’s a great example, he lives a very clean life, he’s the kind of kid you want as your son.”
Wayton said he thinks Bason can become one of the favorites in the Meet of Champions and will probably compete in the Nike National Meet or the Footlocker Championship in the postseason. He will face tough competition there, but Bason is not fazed by the pressure.
“I don’t really psych myself out,” Bason said. “I get excited when it comes to races. When someone’s faster than me it makes me even more excited because I know they’ll push me to my fullest.”
