I have a really fun episode for you. I have brought together two very impressive track athletes, Jake Culig of Bear Creek H.S. and Camden Law of Chatfield H.S., who finished 2nd and 3rd at the Colorado 5A State meet in the 800 meters. We had hoped to include Drew Costelow of Valor Christian, who’d won that race, but he had a family medical emergency, yet Jake, Camden, and I had a very spirited conversation anyway. Even if you are not a high school track follower, I think you’ll be interested to hear about how these young men developed as runners, their training and racing strategies and experiences, their views on the world of track, college recruiting, the bond they developed in competition, and much more. In fact, we covered so many interesting topics that I’ve split this conversation into two parts. Both young men jumped up significantly this year. I helped coach Jake at Bear Creek where despite an unremarkable cross country season, he broke the school’s 400 and 800 meter records, and lowered the all-time Jefferson County League championship meet 800 record by a whopping 1.6 secs. His dream was to attend the U. of Colorado, and to hopefully run on the track team. The team’s coaching staff had rebuffed his initial contacts to join the team, but his impressive end-of-season performances turned the coaches’ heads and earned him a walk-on spot on the team. Camden, a junior, also seemingly came out of nowhere to run impressive times of 1:52.25 in the 800, 4:17.37 in the 1600, and then go on to run in the elite Running Lane meet in Huntsville, Ala., and Nike Nationals at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. He’s got an impressive list of prospective colleges to consider after high school. These young men are great testaments to how hard work, dedication, and terrific character and humility can lead to dramatic improvements and ultimately tremendous success.

Jake Culig
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Camden Law
Instagram camdenclaw

Bill Stahl
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Facebook Bill Stahl
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