By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Julia Wheeler is a calculated runner.

Standing on the podium at Fortress Obetz on Nov. 2, earning All-Ohio honors in Division II, was not a status she accomplished solely in the 18:25.20 it took her to cross the finish line.

Wheeler’s commitment began long before that.

It began with her determined off-season training.

It began with her careful diet plan.

It began with her passion to improve day after day.

The prestigious All-Ohio distinction was Wheeler’s reward for months of passionate preparation to build speed and endurance, to keep her body ready for peak performance and to own her emotions throughout grueling long-distance races.

And what a reward it is for the Southeast Pirates junior.

In 2023, Wheeler qualified for the state championships and finished 28th overall, despite running at less than 100 percent because of an illness.

In 2024, she shaved nearly a full minute off her time from a year ago, dropping from 19:21.20 to her sparkling time of 18:25.20.

Southeast junior Julia Wheeler stands on the podium after her eighth-place finish in the Division II state championship race on Nov. 2.
Special to Portage Sports

Again, it started with a plan.

“She pulled back on her training the week of the state championship,” Southeast co-head coach Julia Dillon said. “It allowed her to be fresh and ready to run her best race of the season. She carbed up the night before the race at Carrabba’s, which, I believe, will become a new tradition for her.

“Julia went out knowing that her first mile was to keep contact with the top girls and the next two miles were to unleash her power, speed and strength.”

Once unleashed, Wheeler kept pushing forward and improved eight places during the final mile of the race, moving from 16th to eighth to complete her special day.

“Julia stays confident and believes in herself, her training and what she has prepared her body to do,” Dillon said “I think having that thought process helps to simplify the race in her mind and not overwhelm her when she is competing.”

A competition she introduced to herself over the summer when she began to train “rather rigorously,” according to Dillon.

“We knew that she was setting herself up to be successful,” Dillon said.

A calculated preparation by one of Ohio’s most elite runners.