Oosting Seeks More Out Of Cross Country Season

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Ryan Oosting is probably the best high school cross country runner you've never heard of during the fall.

On the track, the rising Arlington High MA senior has a put together a memorable resume chocked full of dominant wins that include a New Balance Outdoor 5,000-meter title in 2017. He returns with the third-fastest 2-mile time in the country (8:53.46).

On the trails though, Oosting's been a mythical creature of sorts, bogged down with injuries, and an ill-timed case of mononucleosis that have kept him from completing a full cross country season. He's yet to make it to a December race.

That all is expected to change this fall.

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"In the past three seasons, I’ve signed up for a regional meet but ended up being injured/sick when the time came to run," Oosting explained. "This season, I really want to do my best to be able to run at a regional meet and hopefully a national meet, too."

The expectations are high for Oosting, who spent part of his summer competing overseas in Hungary at the European Athletics Under-18 Championships, and was one of just 20 distance runners invited to the Nike Elite Camp in Oregon in late July. ELTE CAMP INTERVIEW

"We expect Ryan to win states, (Foot Locker) regionals, and the (Foot Locker) national title," Arlington High cross country coach Kevin Richardson said.

Those are mighty big words from his coach, but it's a list of goals that Oosting doesn't think is too big to try and go chase.

"I don’t think that it’s unrealistic, however, I believe it’s one thing to say you’re going to do something and another to actually do it," Oosting said. "That being said, I’m looking to do as well as I can this fall."

All the tools are there for a breakout cross country season for Oosting, who started running just three years ago because his mom, Saskia Oosting, made him.

"I almost quit the first day, but I’m sort of glad I didn’t," Oosting said. "I actually had a lot of fun with my team and I decided to run indoor and outdoor track instead of playing hockey and baseball."

Built like a distance runner, tall and long-legged, Oosting has taken to the sport naturally. Besides a run of bad luck and injuries each season, he's a two-time Massachusetts Eastern State Divisional champion and will look to win his first All-State cross country title this year.

"Ryan's physical stature obviously helps, but he also has huge lungs," Richardson said. "He just doesn't ever seem to get tired. For example, while many runners will collapse when they cross the finish line after an all-out effort, Ryan remains standing and quickly turns to shake their hands."

This summer, after finishing fifth in the 2-mile (8:53.46) at the Brooks PR Invitational and placing second to in-state rival Andrew Mah in the 5,000 (14:37.74) at New Balance Nationals Outdoor a week later, Oosting was given a rare chance to compete in Europe.

He holds dual citizenship with the United States and The Netherlands (the home country of his mom), and the 3,000-meter split that he got April 7 in the Aradia Invitational 3,200 put him under the qualifying standard for the meet in Hungary. Oosting made the most of his first international race, capturing a bronze medal with a time of 8:28.22.

"The race in Hungary and being able to represent The Netherlands was an incredible experience," Oosting said. "It’s one thing to represent your school or your state, but it’s an entirely different thing to represent your country. It was an honor and I’m looking to do it again soon."

First, he wants to put together a meaningful cross country season. Official practice for the Spyponders begins Thursday.

Richardson, who describes Oosting as "funny, intelligent, respectful, and very personable," predicts big things this fall. 

"More than anything, the thing that separates Ryan from other runners is that he can win any race he runs," Richardson said. "I realize that his stats might not always support this, but I've never seen him run a race that I didn't think he could win."