THE ECHO

By Ella Staton // Editor-in-Chief

“During the warmup, I didn’t feel good at all. I kept thinking ‘This is going to be terrible.’ But once the gun went off, and it was all natural again. I started racing and felt good through the first 700 meters. I was up with the main pack, and it stayed that way until we got it around two [kilometers] when some of them started to take off.” Murray said. “Going into the woods, I hit two miles. I was way behind the front pack. They were about 20 feet in front of me. I decided to watch them, trying to see if they would slow down, maybe I could get a move back up. Right around three and a half [kilometers], right before we went back in the woods, I coughed a little bit, it wasn’t anything big yet, so I knew I was all right. In the woods the second time, a runner’s shoe came untied. I kept telling myself ‘I can’t lose to that guy. I can’t lose to a guy with one shoe.’”

He was as nervous as normal, but Quinn Murray had a few goals in mind for the Brownsburg Invitational meet.  Despite how he felt an hour prior, he fought for the entirety of his race and beat the pervious school record by 10 seconds. What was once a seemingly untouchable record now stands as a symbol of perseverance, passion, and the heights that student-athletes like Murray can reach when talent meets hard work.

Not only did Murray take the title of the current record holder, but he destroyed the previous record by 10 seconds.

“I wasn’t surprised that Quinn beat the school record, but by how much he beat it surprised me the most. I thought he had a chance to dip under it, but 10 seconds is huge,” Coach Zachary Toothman said.

Murray, described by many, is a hardworking and dedicated athlete. He aims to better himself every day and always place new goals ahead of himself.

“I don’t really have a time goal the rest of this season, but I’m trying to be top five this week at HCC. Then I’m trying to get All State. It’s more competitive achievements than just times,” Murray said. “Being in one of those positions would be a lot more meaningful than breaking the school record by 13 seconds instead of 10.”

When being a top competitor on the team, most eyes turn to Quinn when team-mates are in doubt or question. Murray sets an example that not only underclassmen can follow, but every athlete on the team.

“Quinn is an excellent leader. As fast as he is, he is often the last one finishing up his drills. That’s not because he’s slow, it’s because he’s doing it the right way,” Coach Colin Rinne said.

Murray is not only known for his speed, but he plays a role on his team that never goes unnoticed, by both coaches and athletes. Murray’s hard work inside and outside of practice set him up to demolish every barrier in his way.

“I got to four [kilometers]. I’m still in fifth or sixth. My coach tells me to ‘Go get two more.’ At this point, I was actually dry heaving, but I just leaned forward and kept running. I got the kid in front of with maybe 700 meters left. I went around the curve and by this point, I’d caught the lead pack,” Murray said. “Coming off the turn, I just surged. I was not really thinking how I felt. At this point I started to see a familiar runner in front of me, and I thought, ‘Oh, shoot, I forgot that guy was still in the race.’ I didn’t quite get him; but I think I could have gotten him if I had another 100 meters. Immediately after the race I felt pretty bad, but the excitement came after I saw my time. I saw the clock say 15: 23 or 24 and all I kept thinking was ‘Wow, I really did that.’”