Mike Marbach was a member of the 2006 team that finished 4th in state.
For starters, I was our 5 man that day/entire season. What I think was really unique about that team was that we had the exact same top 7 for two state meets in a row (we finished 8th in '05) and that 3 out of the 7 had been on varsity together for all four years. Having that consistency of the same guys across multiple years built a rock solid core and we were all laser focused on the task at hand. Each week, you knew what you could expect from each guy. For me personally, I knew that our top 4 guys were light years ahead of me in terms of times/talent, so I worked each week in fighting hard in the "pack" and knew that those guys would always be in contention for winning any race. It was up to me to not throw the race away by running out of my element and trying to keep up with Kevin....I had to be the best 5th guy out there, and that's where I focused my efforts. We thought about that race every single day over the course of two years and realized we had an opportunity to do something great.
That season was something unlike I've ever experienced and probably won't again. I've never been around a group of people who were so inspired and shared a common goal to the extent that that group did. What made it so special was how close we were...bound by a common bond in running that transcended the sport and built a friendship so strong, so stable, that we would do anything for each other and our cause. Whether it was meeting up for morning workouts or going out to eat/hanging out after the races, we were always around each other and enjoyed it. I don't think I've ever laughed as hard or had as many inspiring conversations as we did on those long runs in the Palos forest preserves. I remember just a general sense of excitement surrounding that season beginning in Summer Camp. We knew that we had all done the State meet thing before and knew what was expected from each one of us, so for all of us we were able to just enjoy the journey. By the time the championship portion of the season came we felt confident in our training/each other and felt that there was no way we wouldn't get a trophy at state. I remember one particular run the week of Sectionals....it was one of those perfect fall days. We were doing an easy run that day and all 8 of us (including Coach O'Malley) came up the hill and all just stopped for a second to take it all in. The leaves were all golden yellow and falling around us and it was that minute that we knew we were going to do something special at the state meet. I remember our state prep talk the night before the race in the hotel. Coach O'Malley talked about how it must have been destiny that all 7 of us had been the same age, in the same town, and a part of the same sport and that we had the opportunity to do something that not many people have the chance to do: bend destiny around hardwork and a dream to achieve the ultimate success. The talk centered around how hard we had worked to get there. Coach O'Malley referenced the famous Tiennamen Square photo, where the man holding groceries stood infront of a line of tanks to prevent them from entering the city. O'Malley said that it should take more than an army of tanks to stand in front of our dream, given how hard we had worked over two years to be in that spot. When we got back to our own rooms after that, we came back to each room having a poster of the Tiennamen Square photo hanging on the wall. That got the juices flowing!
Despite the outcome, that was one of the best experiences of my life. To fight so hard for something with a band of brothers who poured their hearts and souls into it was truly incredible. After the race, all six Seniors did a ceremonial "send off" cool down lap around the course. I remember feeling so alone watching those guys take their lap and knowing that it was the end of our era together wearing the Sandburg battle armour. I had just a pit in my stomach, because battling every day with those guys was all I had known over the last two years. I am thankful everyday to have been and still be a part of something as special as that group.
Thanks,
Mike Marbach, '08