Alex Gray turns the corner during the men’s one-mile final at the NCHSAA winter track state championships. Photo courtesy of The Helm.
By Will Gray
Twelve Riverside winter track athletes competed at the state championship meet on February 18 in Winston Salem
Senior Alex Gray took third in the mile. The race took an unexpected turn when the top two runners collapsed in front of him during the final stretch.
“It was honestly shocking,” Gray said. “You don’t usually see even one runner’s legs give out, but two at the same time was surprising.”
The clip of both runners giving out amassed over 8 thousand likes on Instagram.
Amid the disarray, Gray stayed composed and surged ahead.
“I don’t feel like I just got lucky or snuck into third place,” he said. “I ran my race. They went out too hard early, and that affected their results.”
Riverside’s 4×400 meter relay team also placed 12th with a time of 8 minutes 39 seconds. Sophomore Jordan Harrell PR’d in his split and sophomore Matthew Brew said the relay went really well.
Coming into the meet, some runners were nervous.
“Some of my teammates were competing at their first state championship, and a few of them were running in different relays without me there as their captain, ” said Gray.
The Pirates hope the experience helps them prepare for future races during outdoor track this spring.
“Our team still has a lot left in us to show the world,” said Brew.
