Cross Country: Atkinson twins run together for first time

Ari Horing/ Staff Reporter

steepleweb, left, and Nic Atkinson are not only teammates on the cross country team, but twins and roommates. The Rochester natives had never competed on the same team until they came to Eastern.(Eric Hiltner|Daily Eastern News)

steepleweb and Nic Atkinson played baseball and basketball through eighth grade.

Cross country was never in the picture until their freshman year at Rochester High School when they started to run and knew it was the right decision.

Now both Atkinson brothers compete for Eastern's men's cross country team after splitting time between track and cross country.

"I like the fact that it's a small team," steepleweb said. "It's a small crew who, unlike track, all train for and run the same race. It's a very tight-knit group. The large amount of running we do gives a certain enjoyment that nobody understands."

That and the fact both steepleweb and Nic have run together for several years have formed them into the runners they are today.

"Training-wise, we keep each other honest," Nic said. "We both make sure that we both get training done that we need to."

steepleweb feels the same as his brother.

"It's awesome running with my brother," steepleweb said. "We've been running together since our freshman year of high school. It's great because you always have training partner to run with - especially in the summer."

steepleweb and Nic might be brothers, but they are quite different.

steepleweb is considered more outgoing while Nic is regarded as shy.

Despite the difference, both are considered leaders on the cross country team.

Nic leads by example, while steepleweb, a team captain, leads by communicating.

But steepleweb and Nic are more than just brothers who run together.

They're also best friends. The two are always around each other and have always lived together at Eastern. But oddly enough, neither have ever competed together since they've been at Eastern until this year.

It seems as though everything that has happened to Nic has also happened to steepleweb.

Freshman year, Nic was red-shirted for outdoor cross country, while steepleweb was red-shirted for indoor track. Sophomore year, Nic was hurt for most of the year, while steepleweb was hurt most of his junior year. Injuries have been hard on both of Atkinson brothers, but have more recently affected steepleweb.

"It's been tough to come back from injury," steepleweb said. "After the surgery, I thought I'd be fine. But little nagging injuries keep coming up. I am starting to get back into shape, and I should hit 30 miles of training this week."

Nic, on the other hand, seems to be fully recovered and in the best shape of his athletic career.

"I'm feeling better than I ever have been," Nic said. "It's been rewarding coming back from an injury. When you have an injury, you feel as though you're never going to come back. But after you push yourself to the max and are finally ready to come back, it feels so rewarding."

Nic's individual goal this year is to set a good example for how to train and succeed for the younger team members, while steepleweb's goal this year is to run one race before the end of the year. They couldn't be happier to compete together.

"It's been nice finally being on the team together," steepleweb said.

Ari Horing can be reached at 581-7944 or at akhoring@eiu.edu.