Ankeny sophomore Gus Brown was hoping to earn a spot on the awards podium in the boys’ Class 4A state cross country meet on Saturday.
For the first two miles of the 5k race, he was in position to do just that at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
However, Brown faltered in the final 1.1 miles and placed 31st in a field of 131 runners. He posted a time of 16 minutes 11.5 seconds.
“This was his first ever state meet appearance, and it can be hard to go all by yourself,” said Ankeny coach Jon Lindaman. “These championship level meets are a whole new experience–really unlike any race Gus has ever been in before. When he is in a big race like this again, he will know how it feels and exactly how to respond. This was the best and fastest field in the history of Iowa high school running, so it was a really good field. I am really excited to see this kid continue to grow and be a force in Iowa distance running over the next couple seasons.”
Brown was ranked 15th going into the race. He was coming off a third-place finish in a state qualifying meet on Oct. 21 at Iowa City.
Brown ran the opening mile on Saturday in 4:48.4, putting him in 16th place. He then moved up to 14th after running the second mile in 5:04, making him a contender for one of the 15 spots on the podium.
Brown was also looking to be the highest finisher among the sophomores in the race. At the 2-mile mark, he was accomplishing that goal–putting himself just ahead of fellow sophomores Maxwell Kinzer of Iowa City Liberty and Jeremy Gall of Cedar Falls.
Unfortunately, Brown didn’t finish the race the way he wanted. He dropped back down the stretch and was passed by Kinzer, Gall and one other sophomore–Colton Kokjohn of Waukee.
Those three placed 14th, 16th and 26th, respectively.
“Gus went for it, and he did exactly what he needed to through the 4k,” Lindaman said. “The last 1k didn’t go how he wanted, but to have a chance at an all-state finish, he put himself exactly where he needed to. And what a great year he had! He was so coachable, so steady, and so good all season long. The coaches are just so proud of this kid and his entire season.”