"Maybe no one notices that I'm tall," the 6-foot-7, 185-pound Cronrath joked.
Cronrath, a 17-year-old Battle Ground senior, placed 27th at the Class 4A state meet on Nov. 4, 2006 in Pasco - the best finish of any 4A athlete from Clark County.
Describing the experience as "thrilling," Cronrath also won last year's 4A Greater St. Helens League district championship, and was an all-state cross country selection.
"It was a fun year for me," Cronrath said. "I think I kind of surprised myself. I've always been a pretty fast runner, but I don't think I ever imagined finishing like that at a state meet."
Cronrath's performance, however, wasn't a surprise to Tigers coach Sheryl Piper.
Piper praised Cronrath's leadership and work ethic, and said she's enjoyed watching him develop his running skills.
"I coached his brother, Brian, and now I'm coaching Erik," Piper said. "There's a lot of talent in that family. I don't know what they feed them, but whatever it is, it must be working."
While Cronrath was blessed with natural speed, he's also an exceptionally hard worker.
Cronrath spent the summer playing in basketball camps, and pushed himself to run as much as possible in post-practice workouts.
His devotion to basketball - Cronrath plays forward for the Tigers - precedes his commitment to cross country. But Cronrath said finding a fair balance just takes a little extra work and good timing.
"I know how to manage it now," Cronrath said. "Like, for basketball this summer, I probably ran more than I ever have before. But I did that knowing I needed to prepare for cross country."
Cronrath's a three-sport star: he was also selected first-team all-4A GSHL in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters this spring.
And he plans to solely pursue basketball once he heads off to college.
"I'll play wherever I can," he said. "Wherever I can get a scholarship, I'll go."
But now that cross country has kicked into action, Cronrath said he's ready to go.
His main motivation?
"I hate losing," Cronrath said. "I hate it. I just don't like to lose. Sometimes I think it's gone away, but the second I get on a court or a track or a course, it comes right back."
Cronrath has set simple goals for his senior season: top 20 at state, district champion, new personal records.
But he also admitted that the goals are certain to become loftier and tougher to reach as the competition and stakes increase.
"I'm sure," Cronrath said. "I'm not thinking about it now. But if I have a chance to finish high at state, I'm sure I'm going to go for it as hard as I can."