When The Lanes Change: Logan Duefrane

Race & Pace // Exhibiting his confidence, Senior Logan Duefrane has operated from a place of determination and hard work during his entire high school career. Now, Deufrane continues his passion for running and implements his skills from cross country and track into his newest passion and future, race car driving. 

Coronado High School is honored to have many talented students, especially in athletics.

One particular senior who has made a huge impact on the sports scene is Logan Duefrane and his dedication to the sports of cross country and track and field for the past four years.

Duefrane’s commitment to cross country as well as track and field has spanned an impressive and dedicated high school journey. As a track captain for all four years, there is no doubt that Duefrane has learned incredible skills, such as knowledge, connection, and strength, all of which have contributed to the individual he is at his core. In addition, Duefrane holds the school record for the track and field 5K, or 3.1 miles, with a time of 17:22. 

“Both track and cross country have had a huge impact on me,” Duefrane said. “I’ve learned something called delayed gratification. It’s the idea that you have to put in hard work without instant results. Distance running taught me that very quickly that I could run as hard as I wanted, but if I didn't stick with it, I would never improve.”  

Being a consistent and committed individual is one of Logan’s many strengths. His desire to constantly put 100% of himself in every room he walks into is what has led to much of his athletic success and overall improvement as the years have gone by and as the track seasons continue. Ultimately, running takes a lot of dedication, intense training, and focus, and Duefrane does not shy away from exhibiting all of these skills. 

“Running is important to me because it gives me an outlet to compete against myself,” Duefrane explained. “With cross country and track, I can compare my time and strive to improve. Running gives me a way to gauge my own self-improvement, and I also love the thrill of breaking my own and a few school records.” 

As a whole, Logan is always trying to improve himself as a dedicated and hard-working person in the realm of both academics and athletics. When he runs, not only does it make a difference for himself but also for his team. It’s a way to see his personal growth and influences. 

“I’ve had many influences during my time at Coronado,” Duefrane said. “From my first cross country season, Coach Tondryk pushed me past what I thought I could do, mentally and physically. I learned from him that with most things in life, you are the only thing stopping yourself from being great. There are so many things I thought I could never do, and it was that thinking that prevented me from doing those things.” 

For Duefrane, it took a lot of advice from many of his peers and mentors to realize that the state of his mind was often what had held him back, and it took a complete change of mindset to grow.

“During my junior year, I was about ready to stop playing guitar,” Duefrane said. “I didn’t think I was very good, and I didn’t like playing in front of people. One of my teachers, Mr. Fleischer, heard me play and convinced me to pursue it. He also helped me become more comfortable playing for people. But my biggest influence of all has been my team, whether it’s cross country or track and field.” 

Resilience and follow-through like this are yet another stepping stone of Duefrane’s development and growth at Coronado. He wasn’t measuring his success based on other people, he was measuring it based on his personal achievements, and by focusing on personal growth, along with the support of people in his life, he has been able to make major strides and has left his mark here at Coronado. These improvements and influences are arguably some of the largest parts of Logan’s high school journey, made from his teachers, fellow athletes and peers. Changes are inevitable in every senior from freshman year to the present, and rather than resisting those changes, Logan Duefrane has embraced them. 

“The athletes I compete and work with have shown me things I could have never been taught,” Duefrane said.  “I’ve seen incredible grit, determination and dedication from them. I’ve seen them support and help each other even when they can hardly stand. I’ve learned from that what it means to be a part of a team, and it’s them that have helped me to become the leader I try to be. I am glad to have been a part of such inspirational teams, to have seen me succeed. If I were to change things, I would take what I know now about being a leader and being part of a team and apply those things earlier than I have.”

For Logan Duefrane, running is not only the state of being physically active but it’s a way for him to improve himself, learn new things, seek support from his teammates and also showcase his leadership skills. All of these commodities have further proven his endurance, stamina and dedication––not only to improve  himself, but to his teams and Coronado. For the future, Duefrane will be switching gears, intending to put that same work and drive into studying automotives and racecars in college. 

“After high school, I plan to attend the University of Northwestern Ohio, which is an automotive trade school,” Duefrane explained. “There, I plan to learn to work on high-performance vehicles and drive in motorsport events.”

His investment in each of these things represents running and racing as two of many passions that Logan enjoys in his free time. Working on cars and the appeal of the automotive trade are something all too familiar to him.

“I decided to take automotive technology as an elective during junior year,” Dufrane said. “I went into it with the mindset that I'd give it a try and see how it played out. I ended up loving working on cars and engines. I really enjoyed working with my hands rather than writing notes in another class. I liked the idea of taking something damaged, figuring out how it’s meant to work and getting it working again.”

 “The thrill of a car is a bit different to that of running,” Dufrane mentioned. “When I run a race, I am pushing myself to and sometimes beyond my imagined limits…and when I break a PR, I get an immediate thrill from all the adrenaline in my body. Driving is a great thrill, but it’s a bit different from running. It is physically taxing but not the way running is…it’s not so much about a thrill of broken limits but more about perfect performance and timing.”

Despite the differences in speed from running and racing, many of the more important skills it takes to do the both go hand in hand. By continuing to upkeep his drive to be consistent and put every effort into the things that he has passions for, there is no doubt that Logan will continue to utilize the skills he's grown as his time as captain and runner in cross country and track for ultimate success at university and beyond. Though he’s made many accomplishments thus far, his best is just beginning.