In years past, we have celebrated State Meet with a look at memories of the champions. This year is an opportunity for anyone who ran, coached, or otherwise involved in a state cross country meet. If you would like to write about your memory, be it your first, last, or best state meet, please do so as a comment on this article.
Here are my memories:
I ran four years at DeSales High School in Louisville back in the early to mid-90s. We were a Class AAA school back then, regional champions three years while I was in high school and regional runner-up my senior year. I was able to run in the Kentucky State Cross Country Meet two years, my junior and senior each with a different story on how I was able and the end result.
During the fall of 1994, when I was a junior, I was typically the eighth man on our squad which was led by one of the best runners in the state, senior Aaron Harbolt. Back then, we had our regional on Thursday at Stuart Middle School in Louisville. Aaron had a rough regional that year which was completely unexpected with Holy Cross senior Brian Lilly getting the win. The answer to the bad race came a couple days later when he was not at school, out seriously sick.
Coaches are allowed to submit a ten man roster for the post-season just for this type of occasion. The message was delivered to me at school that I would be running at the state meet that weekend. No pressure at all, we lost a runner who was consistently in the mid 15s and I, running in the low 18s, had to fill-in. Great trade, I know.
Looking back now I cannot remember the race itself at all. Maybe it was the shock of running when I had not expected to, I am not sure.
The Kentucky State Cross Country Meet my senior year is blazed permanently in my memories. I was our fifth man all year long and there was no question that I would be competing at regionals and state. Regionals brought us one change with the addition of Butler to our region. Current Butler coach Brandon Lesher and his teammates won the region that year.
The middle of the week before the Kentucky State Cross Country Meet I felt a tingling in my throat and just tried to ignore it. The practice before State Meet I was in severe pain and was having trouble swallowing. I was still trying to ignore it, as far as I was concerned there was nothing stopping me from running at the state meet.
I can clearly remember the conditions, where we set up our tent at the old campground course and how I felt that day. We had a solid freshman, Craig Masterson, ready to roll if I did not run. But, like I said nothing was stopping me from running. I remember spraying my throat with Chloraseptic spray pretty much non-stop hoping it would stop hurting. The race started and breathing was definitely a problem, but I pushed through it. I remember throwing my gloves and toboggan at a one of the team parents in the curve past the downhill at the point where you are closest to the start line on the other side of the creek. Overall it was not a good race.
The emotions afterward stick out to me the most as my parents tried to wrap me in a blanket to warm me up. I sat in my Dad’s car afterward trying to warm up with them wanting to take me to the hospital. No hospital visit that day and life went on but none of it has ever left my memory.
My two running experiences at the Kentucky State Meet brought a wide range of highs and lows. Either way, I look back on my running days in high school with great joy.
