ADEL, Iowa — Sometimes success comes easy for exceptional athletes.
"There's no question he had an incredible amount of talent it was just what was he going to do with that talent," ADM Boys Track and Field coach Jesse Hunt said Tuesday night.
Sometimes, those same athletes need towork for the success they want.
"He has got a fire inside of him that burns pretty bright and burns pretty hot," Hunt said of Senior distance runner Nate Mueller. "He doesn't want to just win, he wants to do the types of things that very few human beings have done in the history of Iowa."
Nate Mueller is the best distance runner in Iowa. He is at the top of the state in the 1600 meter and 3200 meter races. He owns plenty of meet records, two cross country state titles and, yet, he almost did not run track.
"Freshman year, I honestly hated running. During track season my parents had to force me to go to practice because I'd rather be playing basketball," Mueller told Local 5.
In Mueller's case he had to work to find what it was he loved.
"I kind of just fell in love with it over time once I realized my potential," Mueller said.
After that, the work came naturally.
"You're driving down some random gravel road and there he is putting in some miles," Hunt said. "He's a kid who geeks out about track and field and training. He knows inside and out what it's going to take to get to the next level."
Mueller is heading to Iowa State to run next year, but he has plenty left to accomplish while he's still at ADM, primarily, a state title on the oval.
"I haven't done much on the track yet and that definitely pushes me since last year was cancelled. I'm glad we get to have a season this year," Mueller said.
It is his senior season, and his last chance to make all of that work worth the sacrifice.
"I think that's the dream for all of us; to find something you're so passionate about, that you want to work for, that you're willing to risk more than most people are ever willing to risk," Hunt said.