Hall’s Mosbach keeping up family tradition

LADD — For Hall High School senior Tyler “T.J.” Mosbach, running is a family tradition.

Growing up, T.J. watched his older brother Alex Flores run for the Red Devils and later compete as a member of the St. Ambrose Bees cross-country team.

“He went to college for running and was the captain of the team,” Mosbach said of his brother. “So I just wanted to aspire to kind of be like him, running-wise.

“He’s always been there, kind of guiding me during my whole running career here,” Mosbach said.

Mosbach said he dedicated himself to making state during his summer of preparation this year. He ran an average of five miles a day, occasionally running twice a day.

Sometimes he ran with teammate Scott Janusick, but usually he clicked off the miles on his own, he said.

As the season progressed and the postseason drew closer, Mosbach said the weight of his expectations grew heavy.

“It was like every day thinking about it (making state),” he said. “I would have been devastated if I didn’t make it.”

Mosbach punched his ticket to Peoria’s Detweiler Park, home of the state race, at last Saturday’s Aurora Christian Sectional. Mosbach came through the chute seventh at 15:53, accomplishing his dream of qualifying for state.

He credits the summer workout regimen Alex crafted in helping him improve as a runner. The pair even got in a little bonding time running the Bix 7 race in the Quad Cities, which the younger Mosbach said was a great experience.

“My brother helped me a lot this summer,” he said. “He would tell me where I should be at mile-wise, and where I needed to push it at.”

Mosbach said using his brother’s plan provided great results.

“I remember my junior year, I didn’t use it; I blew it off,” admits Mosbach. “This year I got serious, and it helped tremendously.”

The race times speak for themselves, Mosbach added.

“My first race junior year I went 18 minutes; my first race senior year I ran in the 16:30s,” Mosbach said.

With his younger sister, Elizabeth, a sophomore at Hall, also a standout runner for the Lady Devil harriers, T.J. also gets to give out his own advice to a younger sister carrying on the family running tradition.