October 29, 2018 at 12:57 p.m.
Flory finishes 36th at state cross country meet
Flory finishes 36th at state cross country meet
Flory exceeded his own expectations by a long shot.
The Hodag cross country team's No. 1 runner all season long finished with one of his best races, placing 36th in a field of 152 runners in the Division 2 boys' race, covering a hilly course at the Ridges in 17 minutes, 11.8 seconds.
"I'm really excited," Flory said in the cooling pen moments after finishing his final high school race. "I was coming in looking to finish top 50. To beat that by a huge margin feels really good for sure."
The time was less than eight seconds off Flory's personal best, which he set on a faster, flatter course one week earlier during WIAA sectionals at Freedom. Flory may have surpassed his own expectations, but coach M.J. Laggis had set the bar a little higher all season long. Saturday was no exception.
"I said, top 40-30, right in there. I thought he could do that and he was 36th with a 17:11 on a tough course," Laggis said. "He just had a phenomenal race. I could tell this morning he was really wired up, yet relaxed and ready to go. He's had it going for a month here and he just kept it going today."
The small and slender Flory fought through a land rush start, was inside the top 30 overall after the mile mark and settled in for a solid finish in his first state meet appearance. He said the plan going into the race was to stick with fellow individual qualifiers from the Freedom sectional but, the next thing he knew, he was racing among the leaders.
"At the beginning with so many runners, it's kind of hard not to get caught up in it," said Flory, who covered the opening mile in 5:07.3. "I don't know what my first mile was but it was fast. I started in the lead group. Then I kind of looked up one time and saw the first runner and I was like, 'Oh boy, this is going to make for a long two miles.'"
Flory dropped back slightly in the second mile, which he covered in 5:50.2, to drop back into 40th place. He maintained that position, and picked up a couple of spots in the final meters as he covered the final mile and change in 6:14.4.
"At the end there, I don't know, the realization that it was my last meet kicked in, so I just gave it and picked up a couple more places," he said.
Added Laggis: "We saw him with about 1,000 (meters) to go and he was running 39th. He gained three places at the end, being a finisher, that's everything. When you're in a race and you're stronger at the end, that's such a satisfying feeling and I'm proud of him."
Flory said the thought that he was running his final race was with him throughout the meet, but the realization that his high school running career was over didn't set in until afterward when he was met at the edge of the warming pen by his mother, Susanne, and the two exchanged a long embrace.
"The whole race I had in my mind like, 'Wow, this really sucks that this is the last one.' I don't know, I'm just really thrilled to have been blessed with such a great season," Flory said. "My whole family's been super supportive during my whole running career. I really appreciate it."
It was a long road to the state meet for Flory, who placed 12th in the GNC as a freshman. As a sophomore, Flory finished 15th at sectionals and missed qualifying for state by roughly 20 seconds. An off-season injury cost Flory much of his junior season, leaving him with one final chance to reach the state's biggest stage.
"I thought it was just a four-year journey," Laggis said. "When he was a freshman, we were talking about him being a state qualifier. His sophomore year it was like, 'He's close.' Then that junior year ski-boarding disaster cost him a season and I didn't know what to expect this year. He just came in with a goal, with a plan and he just got better as it went.
"What a way to finish a career. So few athletes get to finish a season at the state tournament like that. That's just awesome."
While Flory did the running, he was quick to thank those who helped him reach his goals.
"I think it's pretty cliche to say, but so many people have put in so much time - coaches (Melissa) Krueger and Laggis pretty much volunteering their time - to help us do what we want to do and help us achieve our goals. It's really amazing," he said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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