A good cross country runner enters each race with a strategy in mind. The best enter with contingency plans to deal with any unexpected issues or obstacles that might arise on the course.

Patch senior Mitchell Bailey, the most successful runner in DODDS-Europe over the last two seasons, even plans for injuries.

Weeks before the 2014 cross-country season began, Bailey hurt his knee. The incident wasn’t part of the ideal script Bailey had in mind for his final season of high-school competition, but it wasn’t outside of his range of plans either.

Experience has taught Bailey, he said, to expect “one injury a year.” This year’s just happened to arrive early in the preseason. It’s not that he takes injuries lightly, just that he knows it’s an unavoidable part of an athlete’s life.

“I’m always concerned whenever there’s an injury,” Bailey said. “But it happens.”

What happened after is what made Bailey a two-time European champion, and now the Stars and Stripes boys cross country Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Bailey’s knee injury was just bothersome enough to threaten the endurance that is crucial to any cross-country competitor’s chances. He responded by hitting the pool for water jogging and swimming sessions that kept his stamina up without straining his recovering knee. Then he eased back onto his feet.

“We kind of had to get me back into workouts slowly, a little running here and a little running there,” Bailey said. “It didn’t really change anything after I got back into the routine.”

The injury limited Bailey for four weeks, overlapping only slightly with the start of the DODDS-Europe season. The issue didn’t cost Bailey any regular-season meets, and he said he felt completely comfortable again by the second race.

Bailey’s 2014 injury, it seemed, happened to be rather conveniently timed.

“It was kind of in a good spot to get injured, really,” Bailey said.

As the injury faded into the past, Bailey was free to negotiate new challenges. The reigning European champion after a surprise win in 2013, Bailey entered last month’s championship race in an unfamiliar front-running position, tasked not just with defending his own title but also Patch’s place atop the DODDS-Europe cross-country hierarchy.

After a worthy challenge from Wiesbaden rival Ryan Parker, Bailey reached the finish line with a winning time of 16 minutes, 53.35 seconds.

“It was a little nerve-wracking to make sure I stayed in front,” Bailey said. “I think there was a little more pressure to maintain, if not get better.

“In the end, you just have to run your race.”

broome.gregory@stripes.com

Twitter: @broomestripes

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