Nathan Karr has loved running since he was a sixth grader, but he’d never been the best at it.

That changed in 2009, his senior year at Pioneer High School, when Karr blossomed into the leader of his powerful cross country team, the AnnArbor.com Washtenaw County Runner of the Year and one of the best competitors in the state.

Sure, some of the improvement had to do with physical development. Coach Don Sleeman says Karr “looked like a sixth grader as a freshman, just a little kid on the team.”

But even then, Sleeman saw the potential. He watched with intrigue as Karr would languish in the middle of the pack until the end of a race and then “go like a maniac and start passing people.”

But it wasn’t until late in his final cross country run as a junior that Karr picked up the trait runners will tell you is key, but non-distance runners don’t understand.

Confidence.

“It plays a bigger role than people think,” Karr says. “A lot of guys will talk themselves out of a race. It takes a lot of mental focus. If you’re not confident you can stay with the leaders the whole race, there’s nothing you can do.”

At the 2008 Division 1 state finals, Karr - typically the team’s No. 3 runner - was the first Pioneer to cross the finish line in a state championship effort.

A lack of confidence would not be a problem again.

“I broke out of my shell,” Karr says. “That was the turning point and this year I had really high expectations for myself and went into every race that I entered looking to win.”

And he was successful in that effort two-thirds of the time. Karr was the individual medalist in six out of the nine events Pioneer participated in this season.

He won three Southeastern Conference jamborees, topped loaded fields at invitationals in Portage and Holly, and claimed a Division 1 regional title.

In a cruel twist of fate, it may have been Karr’s newfound confidence that led to a disappointing 21st-place finish at the 2009 state finals on Nov. 7.

Wanting to contend with race favorite Mike Atchoo of Troy, who’d coincidentally won the two invitationals Karr didn’t win earlier in the year, Karr says in retrospect he probably burned up too much energy early in the race.

“I was very confident heading into the race. I knew then and still know now I should have been in the top five,” Karr says.

But when Atchoo broke away from the pack early, Karr pushed out with him. After one mile, he was just one second off the lead. By the two-mile mark, Karr was in ninth place and fading.

“It was weird, I hadn’t experienced not having what it takes to stay on pace all season,” Karr says.

Karr said it took him a few days “to put everything in perspective” after that race.

“I’m still a little sensitive about the subject, but I’m not beating myself up about it anymore,” he says.

Besides, there’s still high school track season before Karr picks a college to run for. And he’s already looking forward to a rematch with Atchoo in the state finals of that sport.

Confidence.