With fallen brother on his mind, in his heart, Asher Madison runs to Stephan Meet gold

By Julie Pelchar Cohen — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

Asher Madison officially introduced himself to the local track and field scene with flashy sunglasses and a thick black headband that pushed back blonde hair.
He was the showstopper for an audience that included his parents, coaches, teammates and the other spectators at the Leonard Stephan Meet.

But the Conrad Weiser distance runner was performing for someone else as he ran to a victory in the 800 meters and anchored the Scouts to a 1600 relay win at West Lawn.

Madison’s oldest brother Nathanael died in a car accident exactly three years ago Saturday at the tender age of 22. Big brother was on Asher’s mind all day, his memory swirling around the track like Saturday’s whipping winds.

The thought of Nathanael ached Asher’s heart but also comforted and inspired him.

“It definitely gave me something to run for today,” Madison said. “He never got to see me race because he passed away before I started running. I’d like to think he was looking down and watching.”

Madison put on quite the show and honored his brother by scrawling “Run 4 Nate” on his left arm with a thick black Sharpie.

Only a sophomore, Madison beat his local idol Zack Zerbe with a surprise win in the 800.

Zerbe, a Mifflin senior, is the defending county champion in the 1600 and 3200 and the reigning state indoor silver medalist in the 800.

While Madison caught Berks County’s distance king on a bad day — Zerbe was noticeably slowed by a cold and finished 10 seconds off his personal best — the race was exciting.

Madison chased Zerbe the first lap and then turned on the gas with 300 meters remaining.

“The goal was to stay within reach,” Madison said. “Then I noticed halfway through the race he was falling off, so I decided to go.”

Madison finished in 1:59.17, a personal best and more than five seconds better than his fastest race as a freshman. A year ago Madison wasn’t even in Zerbe’s time zone; nearly 10 seconds separated them in a local race. 

“I saw him way up there and thought I want to be like that someday,” Madison said. “I talked to him after that race and he said keep going and I’ll get there someday. I just didn’t think it would be this year already.”

Scouts coach Jeff Werner isn’t surprised. Madison has all the tools to be a top 800 dog in Berks County and beyond.  

“His confidence has always been there and his willingness to work hard,” said Werner, who also coaches Madison in cross country. “He’s always the kid who’s going to be the first to arrive and the last to leave. He asks what he can do to be better. He’s a sponge in that regard.

“He has very clear goals for a 10th grader. He knows exactly what he wants to do, and he’s working his butt off to get there.”

Madison punctuated his successful Saturday with Weiser’s 1600 relay win. Madison and brother Eli along with Owen Miller and Luke Calihan overtook Mifflin to win in 3:37.07. 

Madison thought Nathanael would’ve enjoyed the encore on this emotional day.

“He would’ve said, ‘Good stuff’ and, ‘That was crazy,’ ” Asher said.

The oldest of nine children, Nathanael was a role model for a family with eight boys and one girl. He was an honors student at Judson University in Elgin, Ill., and engaged to be married.

“He was always looking out for us and telling funny stories,” Asher said. “He was a lot older than me, but he was definitely a big brother who I looked up to a lot.”

While Asher looked skyward on a beautiful and successful spring day, Nathanael looked down on his little brother and surely enjoyed the show.

“I dedicated my races to him today,” Asher said. “He means a lot to me and he definitely impacted my life.”