For most high school students, spring break is a time for vacation and relaxation. For brothers Nathan and Mark Goldhardt, it is a golden opportunity to train.
When other Olympus High School students were on vacation during spring break, Nathan and Mark were on the track.
Nathan, a senior, burdened from an injury, observed and timed his younger brother Mike, a sophomore, running 200 meter repeats as their German shorthair dog, Jazz, ran alongside.
"Mark asked me to help during spring break; if I can't run I can still help others," Nathan said. "If I'm not able to compete I can still help my team."
The Goldhardt brothers are committed and wanted to use the time during spring break to improve.
"I'm trying to get my time down cause I was slacking before," Mark said. "My brother is keeping me on task, and I'm trying to take advantage of the time."
Their father ran track and played basketball, and their older brother, Tim, placed at state his junior and senior years.
"They come from a family of runners," Olympus track coach Michael Kushlan said. "They argue a lot like brothers do and have brother competition, but they also pull for each other."
Nathan is a long-distance runner while Mark is more of a sprinter. Nathan runs the 800 meter, the mile and the two mile. In ninth grade, Nathan was the district cross country champion.
"Nate, since his sophomore year, has improved steadily," Kushlan said.
An ankle injury has hampered Nathan's promising senior year.
During the first lap of a mile race, an athlete came up from behind Nathan, cut him off and stopped suddenly, resulting in a collision. Nathan landed on the athlete's foot and severely sprained his ankle.
"It tore ligaments and swelled like a softball. It ticked me off. I trained so hard, and this was going to be one of my best races," Nathan said. "I've never been injured real bad before."
"His injury will set him back. He will not be training for two or three weeks," Kushlan said. "Muscle doesn't do well without training, but I think he will overcome it."
Despite rehabilitation complications, Nathan is determined to surmount his injury and compete again.
"I can still bike and water jog," he said. "I'm going to train harder and push harder; I want to run away from the competition. I'm not going to let anybody get close enough to me to have that happen again."
Mark, who also plays wide receiver for Olympus High School's football team, qualified for state in the 800 last year as a freshman. According to his coach, he has the potential to break the two-minute mark in the 800 this year.
"That would put him in the top eight or 10 in the state. If he can stay dedicated and continues to grow he could be a great prospect," Kushlan said.
Mark also competes in the 400.
Both athletes are driven by competition and enjoy the lessons learned from competing in sports.
"It gives me a competitive edge and keeps me busy," Mark said. "I like to hit people in football, and I like the individual mental game in track."
"Running is my passion," Nathan said. "It's relaxing and it clears my mind. It's an addiction to push myself and compete."