Quiet but confident, Jeremy Fopma pursues a state cross country title repeat

MARION — Jeremy Fopma is a quiet kid. Respectful.

Put him in running shoes, though, and there's nothing timid about him.

'He's obsessed with running,' Marion cross country coach Terri Keeney said. 'He puts in a lot of time and effort, a lot of miles.'

Mountainous success has followed. The defending Class 3A champion, Fopma chases a repeat at the state meet Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course, Fort Dodge.

The competition begins at 11 a.m. with the 4A girls' race. Fopma toes the line at 12:30 p.m., and the forecast is for a temperature in the mid-30s.

'I don't mind the cold too much,' Fopma said. 'Whatever happens, happens. I can deal with it.'

That's Fopma in a sentence. Cool, quiet confidence.

'The kids really look up to him,' Keeney said. 'He's a great teammate and leader. He does everything you ask of him.'

Capsules: State cross country preview, predictions

Fopma began running because that's what his father, Joel, did.

'Dad started reffing basketball, and we would run to stay in shape,' Jeremy said. 'I'd follow along ... if Dad does it, it must be cool, right?'

A home-schooled student, Fopma played football in eighth grade for Marion, and playing time was scarce. He tried track the next spring, and that went much better.

He made the varsity cross country team as a freshman and placed 18th at the 3A state meet, in 16:42. It was the summer after his freshman track season that the obsession kicked in.

'That's when I got super-serious,' Fopma said. 'Olympic runners, they're runners all the time. I focused on being a complete runner whether it was training, eating, sleeping.'

Fopma rose to sixth at state as a sophomore in 16:33. Then came last year.

'Going there, I knew I had a chance,' Fopma said. 'I'd been running really well, and I really wanted it.

'When we got to 2 miles, the pace slowed down and I knew it was time to go. That's when I broke away.'

Nobody came along, and Fopma won in 16:02, 12 seconds ahead of teammate Myles Bach.

Last summer, Bach transferred to Center Point-Urbana. Fopma and Bach haven't raced all season, and they're the top two contenders Saturday.

'A lot of people say it's a two-person race,' Fopma said. 'It's going to be like old times.

'When he was here, we definitely pushed each other. I'm looking forward to Saturday. It should be fun to race him.'

If last week's district race is any indication, Fopma is ready. He ran 15:38 at Manchester, the only sub-16 effort at any 3A district, and won by 35 seconds.

'My money is on him,' Keeney said. 'I'm really confident in him. He hasn't been pushed a lot this season. He's so determined. He's ready for a big race.'

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