Nicholasville resident is earning attention in the running world
Photo by Abby Laub
The abundant green grass and rolling hills of central Kentucky have proven kind to elite runner Kevin Castille, as he wins races and sets records despite notching the big 4-0 on the calendar in March.
Hailing from Lafayette, La., the long-legged speedster has been living and training in the region since moving to Nicholasville a little over a year ago. He said the move has been a good one.
“It’s been nice because at home it’s always so hot,” he said, adding that the heat and humidity used to force him to start training runs at 4 or 5 a.m. “And everything there is flat, there were no hills, and I think having that adjustment of hills really made me a lot stronger.”
Castille’s spring accomplishments prove he has gotten stronger.
In April he set an American masters division (40 and over) record for the 10K by clocking a 28:57.88 at the Stanford University Invitational Track and Field Meet, finishing only 36 seconds behind the winner, who also happens to be an Olympian.
“I’ve never been on a big pedestal,” he said about breaking the record. “Even in high school I’ve never been a state champion or national champion, nothing in college. We had intentions of doing the record, so my coach had planned for it. It was not an easy record; 29-something is not slow, but it was kind of in the plan.”
Less than a week after the Stanford race, Castille won the masters division at the Carlsbad 5000 in a blazing 14:57 time. He was then named the USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week.
