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159 S am Fourman has spent the past four years at the University of Iowa racing distances from 800 to 8,000 meters. e redshirt junior has competed in big meets and small, in-state and out. But until March 20, Fourman had never participated outdoors on a collegiate track. It was something new when Fourman finished 15th in the men's 1,500-meter run at the Baldy Castillo Invitational in Tempe, Arizona. His time of 3:50.22 put him first among seven Hawkeyes and in the top third of the 48 finishers. "It is pretty exciting to finally get on that plane and travel with the team," Fourman said. Because of an injury-riddled past, Fourman was anxious when he woke the next morning, wondering if his body held up. It did. Ironically, it was during his final outdoor meet of high school when Fourman caught the eye of former UI head coach Larry Wieczorek at the 2011 Illinois Class 3A State Track & Field Meet. Fourman ran an impressive leg on Oak Park-River Forest's sixth-place 4x800-meter relay. Wieczorek hit speed dial. "In high school I was an average runner most of my senior year and at the state meet I ran well and Wiz was the first coach to call me," Fourman said. "at made an impact. I visited Iowa and loved it. I wanted to go to a Big Ten school. Iowa has a great campus, great atmosphere." Fourman, a walk-on, didn't expect much in return aer joining the cross country and track teams at the UI. He had teammates attend Division I institutions, but they didn't follow through with athletics. "I wanted to last all four years," Fourman said. "I wanted to at least compete all four years and try to make the travel squad." In 2012 Fourman redshirted. In 2013 he was diagnosed with mononucleosis the day aer the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships. In 2014 a stress fracture forced him out of action. "e past couple years have been frustrating when you watch your teammates perform and they do well and you're in the training room trying to get healthy," Fourman said. UI distance coach Layne Anderson recognized Fourman's potential in practice. But for four seasons, putting that potential on an outdoor track never happened. "Any time somebody runs well, you notice," Anderson said. "When they run well and you start learning about their background and realize they haven't been able to do most of what their competition or teammates are doing, it makes it even more remarkable." e most recent ailment holding Fourman back is an aggravated Achilles' heel. But this time, it isn't keeping him off the track. Fourman doesn't run as many miles as his teammates and competitors. He does workouts every Tuesday and Friday with a Sunday long run. He cross-trains two or three times a week and gets one or two workouts in on an anti-gravity treadmill. For cross-training, Fourman prefers to bike, elliptical, or a pool run. "If it's an easy day, I need to keep it easy," Fourman said. "If it is supposed to be a workout, I try to change the pace, keep the heartrate up, and make it difficult." It didn't take long for Fourman to get the hang of outdoor running and his result in Arizona was not beginner's luck. In the second race of the outdoor season, Fourman cut four seconds from his 1,500 time, finishing sixth out of 36 at the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Florida, in 3:46.48. On April 25 at the Drake Relays, Fourman finished runner-up with a lifetime best time of 3:44.50. "It's a huge motivator," Fourman said of his time drop. "Now you go into the next race knowing