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For Will Brunner, the journey has always been as much of a thrill as the destination.

“I think building up to racing has always been the thing that really excites me,” the Vail Mountain senior who runs for Battle Mountain said.

“I like workouts more than I like racing. I think success in racing is just kind of a byproduct of all the work you’re putting in day to day. That really hard mile-repeat workout is almost more rewarding than winning regionals.”

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The next stop for the Huskies’ 800, 1600 and 3200-meter school record holder, who indeed won the 4A Region 1 title in a stunningly speedy time of 14:47 last week — and is one of the favorites to win the state title this Saturday in Colorado Springs — is Harvard University. Brunner’s decision to continue his career in Cambridge, Massachusetts, stems from his dualistic desire to maximize both his academic and athletic potential. He’s always passionately addressed both pursuits with the same all-in approach.

“As much work as you put in,” Brunner began, “that’s what you’re going to get out in results.”

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In that regard, Harvard’s high-mileage training philosophy and rigorous academic load are a great combination for the future pre-med student and legendary workout warrior.

“He doesn’t really like down days or ‘rein-it-in’ days,” admitted Battle Mountain coach Rob Parish, who has said before that many of Brunner’s workouts are almost more mind-boggling than his record-setting races.

“He wants to hammer and they like to hammer,” the coach continued. “So it appears to be a great match.”

Brunner spoke extensively with Dartmouth and Yale and took official visits at Duke and Wake Forest before landing at Harvard,

“I think it’s a great decision for him,” Parish added. “The team is strong, it’s young and Will is a grinder and they are grinders.”

During his official visit, Brunner was struck by the Harvard student-athletes’ authentic embodiment of the ‘student’ half of the worn ‘student-athlete’ monicker.

“You could tell these guys were really studying; they have plans to go past their athletic careers,” he said. “They want to become the best runners they can be, but they also want to go into the real world with a good degree.”

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He also could picture himself emulating the squads’ admirable collective work ethic.

“The people you surround yourself with — they shape you,” he said. “I’d love to be shaped by the guys on the team.”

For the last four seasons, the primary ‘iron sharpening iron‘ has occurred between Brunner and his teammate Porter Middaugh. The future Podium Project triathlete was neck-and-neck with Brunner for that sub-9-minute 3200-meter record last spring and this month he swiped him off the cross-country record book by posting the second-fastest prep 5k time run on Colorado soil (14:38). Together, the prodigious pair has undoubtedly raised the running game in Eagle County. More importantly, Brunner said he and Middaugh became best friends over the course of hundreds of miles.

“We’re forced to talk to each other every day for hours on end,” he said. “That’s the highlight of my day every day — to do runs and workout with Porter.”

Brunner revealed the dynamic duo entertained the idea of going to the same place, but in those long-run conversations, realized they were headed down different athletic avenues.

“I’m really excited for him,” Brunner said of Middaugh’s multi-sport future. “I think for him, he’s choosing the best path.”

“He could be a DI All-American….or better.”

Brunner is the 34th Battle Mountain runner to go onto NCAA DI competition since 2005, said Parish. The coach believes the sky is the limit for the 2022 4A 3200-meter state champion, whom he described as “the perfect DI collegiate runner,” because of his mental mindset and physical tolerance for fast long runs and intervals.

“He has a lot of room to grow, too,” Parish added, noting that because Brunner has rarely done double-sessions or eclipsed even 60 miles a week, he is “not someone who is tapped out at the high school level, by any means.”

“That’s by design. Will would actually probably run 150 miles if we asked him to,” he said of the multi-sport athlete who safely and steadily increased his volume by 10% each year and has balanced his track and cross-country campaigns by racing on the Vail Mountain Nordic ski team the last three winters.

“We wanted to be responsible with his development and set him up for success at the next level.”

Though Harvard also houses an NCAA Nordic ski program — which currently has Brunner’s former teammate, — the focus next fall will be running. Brunner did say he’s hauling his skinny skis across the country, however, and hopes to meet up with Cruz-Abrams for some cross-training.

“It’s actually something I’m sad to be leaving behind,” he said of skiing. “I think a lot of my favorite memories over the last three years have been skiing with that VMS Nordic team.”

Not surprisingly, Brunner’s collegiate athletic aspirations are lofty. He hopes to be an All-American and contend for a national title — both individually and as a team — before it’s all said and done. He also wants to accomplish the No. 1 item on any runner’s bucket-list.

“I’d like to break four (minutes) in the mile,” he said. “I have big goals going there and hopefully Harvard is a place I can push those goals and become the runner that I think I can be.”

Parish is confident the targets are realistic.

“I’m biased for sure, but anyone who gets Will — they’re going to get an excellent return on their investment. He definitely could be a collegiate All-American,” he said before a momentary pause.

“Or better.”