Not just any runner can experience this thrill.
But IU redshirt freshman distance runner Jeremy Coughler has.
“It was an amazing experience,” Coughler said. “I would love to compete at that level someday. It would be a dream.”
The 2010 Vancouver Olympics featured a torch trail that led through Coughler’s hometown of Port Hope, located in Ontario, Canada.
And thanks to a Coca-Cola sponsored competition, Coughler was chosen to carry the torch along the Olympic trail through ?his town.
“I had to log hours of community service and exercise,” Coughler said. “And when I walked with the torch, my family and friends were by my side. It was just a great experience.”
Originating from Canada, Coughler grew up playing ice hockey from the age of six to his sophomore year of high school before he finally focused on track and field.
“I would say that the anaerobic work in hockey provided me with good speed from a young age,” Coughler said.
“The variety of sports that I played, like soccer and hockey, really helped me become a good athlete.”
After he quit hockey, Coughler trained solely on track and field, beneath the same coach as his senior teammate Evan Esselink, who graduated from Courtice Secondary School, a half hour away from where Coughler grew up.
With his eyes set on an Olympic appearance one day, Coughler decided it would be best to compete at a school in the United States. He settled on IU.
“There are guys who go pro after competing in the NCAA’s,” Coughler said about his decision-making process. “So if I go to one of those programs, I could take another step closer to my dream. I can just see how far I make it.”
After redshirting his freshman year, Coughler competed in the Canadian Junior Championships in 2014.
He finished third in the men’s 3K steeplechase with a time of 9:00.58, the fourth-fastest junior time in North America.
This season he has found victory in four indoor events and a 10th-place finish in the Big Ten 5K.
He also finished second in his lone outdoor 3K steeplechase at the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Invitational.
“A lot of freshman on the team have performed similarly to me,” Coughler said. “All the guys have been kicking my butt in practice to help me get better.”
Other Canadians in the program include freshman high jumper Paul Galas, women’s freshman sprinter McKayla Eves and women’s sophomore jumper Danielle Quinn.
“There’s really not that big of a difference competing in Canada than the U.S.,” Coughler said. “There’s just more competition here, and I think that has a lot to do with the larger population.”
Former Hoosier and Bowerman Award winner Derek Drouin now competes for the Canadian National Team, but Coughler said he feels a stronger connection with his current teammates.
“Evan (Esselink) and I have a different connection because we trained under the same coach at one point,” Coughler said. “But I love all of these guys. They’re like family.”
