He runs as fast as gas prices go up; he’s as elusive as Darren McFadden and Jeremiah Wright; opponents have as much chance to get a piece of the wind as a souvenir as they do of flirting with his shadow.

He’s Llano High School’s Cole Hoffman, and he chases two state gold medals on Friday, May 9, at Mike Myers Stadium on the UT campus.

Hoffman, the greatest middle-distance runner in school history, will run the 3200 and 1600-meter races. He was an impressive fourth in Class 3A a year ago in these marquee events, and he's coming off convincing victories in the Region IV meet in Kingsville.

“I’ve trained more this year than last,” Cole says. “I’ve worked a lot with weights, and I average running six to eight miles a day. Sometimes I’ll go ten miles.” You don’t run one or two to get ready for one and two.

“I was fortunate to coach him in the seventh grade,” former Llano track head coach Steve Golemon declares. “His hard training shows up in competition; when he was younger it was only a question of whether he would follow the work ethic; he not only has, he has expanded on it.”

Describing what Hoffman looks like on a country stretch of dirt or on the ovals at Bandera or Wimberley or San Antonio is like trying to tell someone why a maestro has such marvelous control of his orchestra.

His strides seem almost perfectly designed, and, like the legendary jockey, the late Eddie Arcaro (a record five Kentucky Derby wins), he knows exactly what his pace is as he attacks eight laps in the 3200 and four in the 1600.

Dan Hughes is in his second year as Llano track coach, and Cole will stop people in the cafeteria to tell them how much Hughes has meant to him. In early fall, Hughes was quoted in The Llano News saying, “He’s laid back, but he has the desire to be the best. You can see that during the week and at meets; Cole has natural ability, the ability to focus, to push the pain. Only a few athletes can do that.”

Encouraged by his dad, Roy, to keep running while Cole was in middle school, the boy became a young man finishing the 3200 (or metric two miles) in nine minutes and 44 seconds at the state championships in 2007.

His best in the 1600 was accomplished just a couple of weeks ago at Texas A&M-Kingsville: four minutes, 25.12 seconds.

“He’s pretty special and he’s pretty tough,” Rudy Contreras of Luling concludes about the man who beat him twice in the regionals. “I tried my best, and I’ll do it again at state.”

Dylan Stevens of Bandera is the 800-meter, region champion who lost to Hoffman in the mile race at district. “He’s the best runner I’ve ever competed against; he has a lot of heart, and I’ve never seen a kick like his.”

Very few of Cole's races have been close this year; that won’t be the case at Mike Myers, and the threat presented by his competitors might increase his speed. “I actually gain confidence when other runners are keeping up,” Hoffman says, “and, of course, it’s more exciting and the adrenalin is there because you want to do your best.”

It is impossible to imagine this hard worker of the Class of ‘08 not doing his best. “He has the ability to tune out all else when he’s competing,” Hughes discloses, “and he gets in a zone, concentrating on just one thing, and that's running fast.” Faster than ever may be needed at state.

Blake Woolums of Argyle has crossed the wire in the 3200 in nine minutes, 23 seconds; and Will Barry of Pleasant Grove has run the 1600 in four-17.

Cole Hoffman, this school year in the arena, has faced other problems besides speedy colleagues: he has shaken off a youngster of eight or ten in his path in his race at Inks Lake; Cole has rid his eyes of dust or some such from a starter’s gun (do you believe THAT?); he has ignored being kicked by trailing contestants when the pack is thick in the early stages of the event.

All the hard times and the hundreds of miles of preparation narrow down to two more pursuits. The podium at Mike Myers, high above the track, with the state capitol in the distance, is the goal.

The climb is an easy one, but to be invited to the medal ceremony, Cole must beat the best in state to claim that huge honor for himself.