Lake Forest Academy's Click Ready to Move to Head of the Pack

Lake Forest resident Taylor Click began running as a seventh grader and never looked over his shoulder again.

“I won my first race,” Click said of the initial experience. “God blessed me with speed.”

He was successful for the Braves and moved on to . As a sophomore, he was part of the Scouts' 1,600-meter relay team that advanced to the State Meet. He transferred to as a junior. 

When not running as a Brave, Scout or Caxy, Click is a Waukegan Invader. He runs with the club team when the school season is over, and last summer earned a trip to the USA Track and Field National meet in Sacramento where he took 12th in the 800 in 1:56. 

Click ran that race hanging behind the leader and sprinting at the end the same way he won the 800 at the recent on April 23. The local meet was his first competitive return to Lindenmeyer Field since he was a Scout. 

“You’re wearing the wrong uniform,” Scout Denis Sheeran said when Click arrived. His old coach then gave him a warm hello as he exchanged fist pumps with his former mates. 

The strategy of lagging slightly behind was developed with Invader Coach Kenneth Almond before going to Sacramento. “I stay just behind the leader and sprint the last 300 yards passing him (the leader) at the end,” Click said.

It worked again in the high school meet, but more may be necessary at the national level. Almond wants him to start his races running faster. He credits his protégé with being a smart runner and will use that intelligence to make him better. 

“This year we’re going to make him a front runner," Almond said. "With his new goal (1:50 in the 800), he can’t hang back. He can be a front runner.” 

Click will be at the older end of his age group at the national level this summer. Last year he was one of the youngest, but he will put last year's experience to work.

“He’s very smart, which is what makes him better,” Lake Forest Academy coach Aric Visser said. “He runs better in meets where it’s more open.” 

Click used his intellect when another nuance came his way at the Lake Forest Invitational. When the Caxy’s anchor runner in the 800 relay could not compete, coach Chris Duzois tabbed Click for the slot. 

“We had him jump in because our anchor pulled a hamstring and was out of the meet,” Duzois said. “We had him run anchor so he wouldn’t have to worry about handing off the baton.” 

Click had never run a 200 competitively. Teammates Quai Chandler, Rickey Larke and Matus Ivanauskas provided some helpful tips and the result was a school record of 1:32.8 to finish second. 

“We broke the record because of them,” Click said of Chandler, Larke and Ivanauskas. “They told me how to run the curves and do the handoff.” 

The same foursome won the 1,600 relay in 3:30.2. Between winning the 800 and running the relays, Click was responsible for 28 of the Caxys’ 45 team points.