“Before the race starts, just close your eyes and take a couple deep breaths.” This was what Coach Meyer said to me when I needed help with race preparation. Coach Meyer planted the seeds of wisdom on me every chance he got. It’s funny how I was so nervous the last race of that season. I was shaking since we got there, and was almost in shock at the starting line. When the gun went off, I was ready to do my part for my teammates. The time we spent with each other over the years has created a bond which made this specific race more that just a race. I was there for them, and they were there for me. That season, a brotherhood was created.

The four by eight was on my mind on the first day of track because of the season before that and how fun it was. I figured this year would be the year, if any, that I’d have a chance at going to state. I remember the passion that our team put into each workout in preparation for meets. We went by the quote, “In order to be the best, you must out work the rest.” Before we knew it, it was already the first meet. Josh, Justin, and I were in the eight hundred that meet and I remember how Josh and I were neck to neck the whole race until the end. I had beaten Josh for the first time, and I knew this was good for the both of us because now we were going to push each other for the rest of the season.

As a team, we are invited to the Lakeville Mega meet every year, and this year I was put in the mile, four by eight, and four by four. The mile went well, and I got a personal record! Next was the four by eight, which was my main race. The importance of the race was that I could get a free shirt, and also I could help qualify my team for the Hamline Elite Meet. The Hamline Elite Meet is basically a mini state meet. Making it there would give our team a good chance at state. The rain before the race was like a shin splint, adding a disadvantage to my race. Josh was first, I was second, Justin was third, and Wyatt was fourth. The gun went off and Josh was doing well. He handed me the baton in second place and I kept that place for Justin. Justin lost a place and Wyatt had to get us into second. When he finished, he almost tied, but he got the guy by a fraction of a second. We thought for sure we’d make it to Hamline with our time of eight minutes and twenty three seconds. We we disappointed when we had found out the next week that we missed it by two seconds.

It was upsetting that we didn’t get the chance to try it again until the end of the season at the Shakopee invite. We all ran our own individual events between the mile, eight hundred, and two mile. This was good and bad, it was good because we could lower our times individually. In this time Wyatt was able to break the school record in the mile, and Josh was able to get close to the school record in the two mile. At the same time, it was less than ideal because we didn’t get the experience of running together in a group. This was a big disadvantage for sections.
It was finally time for our next attempt. We were at Shakopee, and we were all in the four by eight, ready to go. The problem was we didn’t have enough time to properly warm up. We were cut by twenty minutes, and before we knew it, it was time to get to the starting line. We did the same order as the previous four by eight and we had all ran good times. We finished in first with eight minutes and twenty one seconds. This time would have qualified us for Hamline, which was the progress we needed to make it to state.

We had another race after that, and all of us ran the eight hundred. Wyatt was the victor and broke two minutes, I was just shy of two minutes, Josh was right behind me, and Justin’s time was a two minute and seven seconds. It was weird because although we were all tired, we had ran better times in the second race. We could have ran eight minutes and seventeen seconds. It was time to get into our best shape for sections.

We ran every workout with pride and heart because we knew that we had great potential. Some of the workouts were top of the line with maximum capacity of repetition. We took easy days really easy because it was important give the body a proper rest. We decided that I was going to run first, Josh second, Justin third, and Wyatt fourth.
It was the first day of sections, but we didn’t have the four by eight that day. Wyatt, Justin, and I were in the eight hundred, while Josh was in the two mile. Wyatt was third seed for finals, Justin and I got personal records, and Josh had a good race, which had given him the school record. This was just what we needed to be ready for the four by eight. The next day in school my nerves go the best of me. All I could think about was my race, which was good preparation for the race. The day before a race, we always go on the teeter toters by St. Wenceslaus school to talk about the race. I could tell we were all nervous, which was typically a good sign.
“How do you guys feel after the first day?” Josh asked.
I replied “Sore, but ready for tomorrow.” Everyone pretty much had the same answer because of how taxing a single race can be.
Justin asked “Do you think we can still do it?”
Josh replied “We definitely can, but we the best of luck”
Wyatt agreed “I’ve seen teams come out of the blue and win sections. We are seeded fifth, but I believe we can do this” We had to get going so that coach wouldn’t be mad.

Finally, it was the second day of sections, it was fight or flight. We arrived at Gustavus College and had approximately an hour to get ready, and that hour flew by faster than a vacation. I went to the bathroom just before the warmup and we were off. During the warmup we didn’t say much, mostly due to the nerves, but also we were very focused. When we finished, we got to the waiting line early so that there wasn’t any more stress put on us. My spikes jumped on my feet waiting there and I was ready to go. Standing there, I could remember the exhausted faces of the previous runners, and also the proud faces of the state qualifiers. This was it, it was my time to shine. My previous record was two minutes and two seconds. I had in my mind that it was a great day to break two minutes. We were called to the line, the instructor explained the rules, and he went to where he stood to fire off the gun. At this point I had it in my mind to do it for the team. I remembered what Coach Meyer said to do before the race, “Just close your eyes and take a couple deep breaths.” So I did that, and it calmed me down. I heard the instructor say “on your marks, set,” and then he fired the pistol. The first hundred was so fast, and it wasn’t till the last three hundred till I started to pick it up. I was in first at the time, and I wasn’t going to lose it. It came down to the last fifty meters when the other runners caught up, and it was a three way tie for first. I remember the great hand off that I had with Josh, which was a good sign that he was going to keep the lead. He finished in second, handing it off to Justin very well. We all looked strong compared to the other team. Justin ran his best and handed it to Wyatt in third. We knew Wyatt could do it, but we were surprised when he caught up to the other runners so quickly. His first lap was fifty-four seconds. He ran with them and took the lead in the next two hundred meters. I remember the crowd, and the look on my teammates faces. We were going to make it to state!

In the last one hundred meters, Wyatt began to suffer from a leg cramp and slowed down. He got passed with only fifty meters to go, and we took third. This was an upset, but looking back, we did amazing. Josh and I both ran two minutes and one second, Justin ran a low two minutes and five seconds, and Wyatt ran a two minute and four seconds. We had a total time of eight minutes and twelve seconds, which was the best the team has ever gotten to the school record.

The season was over, but the brotherhood was not. I remember the bond created between the four of us that season and how it will keep us together throughout life as brothers. The lesson I learned from this event the most is that in life, there are people that stand behind you, and when they are in need, I’ve got to be there for them, just like at sections that year. Josh graduated and move on to run in college. All four of us still talk, but luckily Wyatt, Justin, and I get another shot this season.