This Promising Season Ends on a Sour Throat : Virus Leaves University’s Whiteley in Bed and Out of State Championship Track Meet

Here is a story from the Life is Unfair file, high school track and field division.

Greg Whiteley, University High School middle distance runner, was primed to culminate his prep career with an outstanding finish until he suffered from a throat virus prior to the Southern Section divisional meet two weeks ago.

Whiteley, who was expected to challenge for the state title in the 3,200 meters this weekend at Sacramento, had an abrupt end to his senior season when he was unable to compete at the Southern Section meet, the first of two qualifiers to the state championships.

“I had a 102-degree temperature for a week straight and I couldn’t eat anything for four days,� Whiteley said. “I would’ve had to have been dead to the world to miss that meet and that’s just what I felt like.

“I got up Saturday morning, which was the first day I could eat, and went out and ran a mile to see what it felt like. It was about a nine-minute mile, so I just decided to pack it in. I would’ve embarrassed myself if I ran.�

Whiteley has resumed training this week for the Golden West Invitational on June 8 at Sacramento and the junior nationals in Chicago a week later. Those meets will offer him a chance of resumption.

“Monday was my first day back (training),� Whiteley said, “and my throat’s still sore, but I think I’ll be OK.�

Being sick is nothing new to Whiteley. Over the years he has caught many germs from his elementary school-aged brothers. So, he decided to move in with Robbie Barrios’ family, about a mile from his parents’ home in Irvine, during his senior track and field season. He and and Barrios are best friends on the Trojan track team.

The move almost got him through the season without illness, but for the throat virus. Despite the disappointing finish, the year has hardly been a total loss for Whiteley, 18.

The 5-foot, 11-inch, 140-pound runner set Sea View League records in the mile (4:13) and two-mile (8:57) earlier this month at the league championships.

He has the third best prep time nationally for 3,000 meters--8:29.7, behind Scott Fry of Perkings High in Sandus, Ohio and Calvin Gaziano of Castro Valley High, two runners he expects to face at the Golden West Invitational.

Whiteley first became interested in running as a youth in Irvine, when after participating in some fun runs he came to the attention of Frank Duarte, coach of the Blue Angels Track Club.

Duarte has been his principal coach and adviser ever since.

Whiteley’s future as a runner, according to Duarte, will be in the longer distances. He ran a respectable 30 minutes, 24 seconds at the Festival of Lights 10-kilometer run at San Diego last December.

“He’s been improving every year, but he’s not even close to his potential yet,� Duarte said. “He’s coming along slowly--he’s just finding out now how strong a runner he really is. Eventually, he could be one of the top runners in the country.�

Though Whiteley has become a successful runner, he still claims ice hockey is his favorite sport, which he played a few years ago.

“I really enjoyed it,� Whiteley said. “All my friends played so that’s why I played.�

Today, Whiteley still finds time to play floor hockey at a local boys club in Irvine.

Whiteley will have the chance to watch more ice hockey next school year as he plans to attend Brown University, a Rhode Island Ivy League school. He will run track and cross-country for the Bruins.

Whiteley hopes to pattern himself after former Ivy League runners Frank Shorter and Craig Masback, both successful runners who have done well outside the sport.