It's Fast Forward For Fatuga -- Roosevelt Runner Leaves Viral Infection Behind, Leads State In 2 Events

Mike Osborne's runners start their workout with what he calls a "slow-motion sprint." It looks like a sprint, except that every movement is exaggerated and slowed down dramatically.

This is the only time you will see Gbolahan Fatuga move slowly or show any restraint. Once his muscles are sufficiently stretched, the charade is over.

For Fatuga, the heart of Roosevelt High School's boys track team, racing is an expression more than an exercise. The surest way to torture Fatuga is to hold him still. Osborne, who coaches Roosevelt's middle- and long-distance runners, had to do that last fall.

"It was the hardest thing to do," Osborne said. "He has a passion for racing. I told him he shouldn't run, but he didn't believe me. I had to show him he wouldn't be able to keep up."

Last fall, Fatuga came down with a viral infection that lowered his white blood-cell count. It was related to an iron deficiency, he said. It took him two months to recover. And he still wanted to run cross country.

Osborne took him out on a course, following him on a bicycle. Fatuga grew weaker and weaker and was worn out before the last half-mile.

"He made me stop," said Fatuga, a senior. "He did the right thing."

The ensuing months were almost unbearable. He didn't run once. But he learned to take care of himself. He got at least eight hours of sleep a night. He ate a balanced diet - he said a poor diet contributed to his illness - including more fruits and vegetables. He lifted weights occasionally, but was otherwise a "couch potato."

"It was extremely hard to do," Fatuga said. "I'm so used to running all the time."

Last weekend at the Pasco Invitational, Fatuga ran the best times in the state in the 800 and the 1,600. Fatuga won the 800 in 1 minute, 56.15 seconds; he finished second in the 1,600 in 4:19.09. He was 3.34 seconds slower than the 1,600 winner, Spencer Hill of Boise, Idaho, who was selected the meet's most valuable athlete.

However, both of Fatuga's times were state bests in all classifications.

Fatuga's second-place effort in the 1,600 at Pasco bested Washington's previous state leader, Ty Whitten of Spokane's University High, and Darin Steen of Yakima's Eisenhower High. Whitten, whose best this season is 4:19.1, did 4:19.11 Saturday. Steen was second at last year's state meet.

However, Fatuga's performance at Pasco shouldn't be that much of a surprise. He alerted the state of his talents at last year's Class AA state meet when he won the 800 in 1:52.84. He also placed fourth in the 1,600.

As a sophomore, he finished fourth in the 800 at the Class AAA state meet in 1:55.43. He won it last year in 1:52.84, his personal best.

"I'm ahead of schedule in the 1,600," said Fatuga, who was born in Nigeria and moved to Seattle at the age of 5. "I was surprised I did as well as I did (at Pasco). I'm a little worried about the 800."

Bob Cutler, Roosevelt's track coach, has high praise of Fatuga.

"He is one in a million. You could wait 10 or 15 years before you get someone like him. And he's such a wonderful, nice person. He's humble. And he'll do anything he can to help the team.

"I could put him in eight or 10 events and he could win them all. He has the best 200, 400 and 800 time on the team. He can jump farther than anyone. He could probably win the shot put. I'd love to have him hurdle, but Mike probably wouldn't like that too much."

Unfortunately, there is only one Fatuga and Cutler can enter him in only four events per meet. Fatuga has run the 200 and the 1,600 relay in addition to the 800 and 1,600.

His biggest strides have been made in the 1,600 as a result of dedicating himself to running longer distances. He ran in the state cross-country meet as a junior, barely breaking into the top 90.

"Gbolahan doesn't rest on his talent," Osborne said. "He works very hard on his own during the offseason, running and lifting weights. He's had some help along the way, but it has been inconsistent. He has done it mostly by himself. I'm not going to take any credit. My job is to make sure he doesn't overdo it."

Fatuga spends his summers and winters running Junior Olympic track with the Rain City Flyer, a club based in Lake City. He was recently invited to the Golden West meet in Sacramento. The June event is considered one of the most prestigious high-school meets in the country. If all goes as planned, he will enter the Golden West meet as a double state champion.

Next fall, he plans to attend Brown University, not on an athletic scholarship, but on an academic scholarship. Fatuga, who has a 3.8 grade-point average, wants to study aeronautical engineering or computer science.