SUNDAY SPECIAL | A QUEST FOR HISTORY

When LaPorte senior Mike Fout feels sharp pains shooting through his body as he races this spring, he'll have some extra motivation to fight through the discomfort because his hometown hero will be cheering for him from afar.

Fout, a Hammond native who moved to LaPorte when he was 12, established himself as one of the best high school distance runners in the nation by winning December's Foot Locker Cross Country Championships with a time of 14:50.

Now he's on a mission to become an Indiana running legend by breaking Rudy Chapa's coveted state records in the two-mile run during his final high school track and field season.

"A guy like Rudy Chapa is the standard that every high school distance runner in the state is shooting for," said Fout, a Florida State University recruit. "To even have a shot at his record is really a great honor. I feel like I can get it this season, so it's really exciting for me."

It's also thrilling for Chapa, who was a star at Hammond High and the University of Oregon in the 1970s.

"It seems like a lot of athletes don't like to hear that their records might be broken," Chapa said. "I've always taken the opposite approach. The idea that something I may have done years ago being a motivating factor for a kid today -- I think it's really cool."

Anyone aiming to be like Chapa needs to set some pretty lofty goals.

Because Chapa ran races that were measured in yards instead of meters, his converted state record in the two-mile is 8:48.27. His converted state meet record in the same event is 8:55.10, according to the IHSAA.

Chapa is also extremely successful in the business world. After college, he was hired as a global sports marketing director for Nike. Now he runs his own athletic training company, SPARQ, in Portland, Ore.

And Chapa doesn't just talk about his support for Fout -- he shows it.

"When (former Columbus North standout) Christian Wagner was trying to break my records a few years ago, I remember sending him the nicest pair of spikes that Nike had," Chapa said. "I'd like to also get a pair to Mr. Fout."

While he eagerly waits for his new shoes to arrive, Fout will continue to work at breaking his hero's record and defending his state title in the 3,200-meter run (9:03.49).

"I'm doing everything I can to break that record," said Fout, who also won a cross country state championship last season in 15:31.9. "To have (Chapa) in my corner is really encouraging."

LaPorte track and field coach Tim Beres said Fout respects the records and the man who set them.

"He knows the exact time he's looking to beat, and I think he respects Chapa's mark so much that he just wants to be on the same page as Rudy Chapa," Beres said. "We've always kind of made his goals known. He is someone who responds well to have something written down. He really understands the history of running and what a legend Rudy Chapa is."

Fout also understands how the sport has evolved over the years and how he and Chapa reflect that change.

"I think in the '70s, guys were just running tons of miles," Fout said. "I guess in the '80s and '90s, there was more of an emphasis on speed, speed, speed. And now I think it's kind of a medium between both of them."

Fout said he runs between 55 and 60 miles a week. Chapa said he used to run 100 to 120 miles a week during his prep career.

"When I went out to college, I didn't meet anybody that was running as much as we did at Hammond High School," Chapa said. "That was just coach (Dan) Candiano's philosophy. He actually believed the more running you did, the better you got.

"If Mike is doing 55 to 60 miles a week, that says two things to me: He must really have a coach who knows what he's doing to get that performance out of him, and that kid is incredibly talented. If he's running this well at 55 to 60, he's got a lot of upside, and he's got a pretty good coach who has done his homework."

Florida State track and field coach Bob Braman also thinks Fout has plenty of untapped potential and the attitude needed to become an elite collegiate runner. Braman said he was immediately impressed by Fout's toughness after watching him race for the first time.

"I like his personality, and I like his aggressiveness," said Braman, whose Seminoles men's team has won NCAA outdoor national titles in each of the past two years. "He wants to win tomorrow. He has the impatience of a champion.

"He's not afraid of the responsibility of being great, and that's exciting."

Fout doesn't just run to stay at the top of his game. He does speed workouts, lifts weights and sticks to a strict diet.

"A lot of teenagers grab some fast food when they're out with their buddies, but you're not going to catch me doing that," Fout said. "I don't eat much candy at all, and I don't remember the last time I had pop."

Beres said Fout makes other sacrifices, too. He doesn't mind pain. He knows it will come. He's willing to be uncomfortable.

And with Chapa rooting for him, Fout might be inspired to push harder than ever during his final high school season.

"I take enormous pride in having grown up in Hammond, so to hear that this kid is from Hammond -- it couldn't be any sweeter," Chapa said. "When he approaches those records, he can know that there's someone about 2,000 miles away cheering for him."