Joining the track and field team to gain endurance and agility for football season produced the desired results and the breaking of two records.

?He (Ryan Brunn, ?08,) is definitely one of the fastest boys on the team,? Jason Harris, ?07, said. ?You?d never know he is because he always is really humble and so carefree.?

Brunn runs in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 x 100 relay and competes in the long jump for his second year on the track and field team. Brunn ended his first year on the team with both the 100 meters and 4 x 100 relay records.

?Ryan finished last year really well when he ran his best time at the last meet,? coach Ericlee Gilmore said. ?That was when he was a sophomore. Now as a junior he will do even better when he steps it up a notch. I?m excited to see how well he does as the anchor of all the boys? relays.?

Despite two consecutive years of training and running, Brunn failed to maintain endurance.

?It was just as hard as when I first joined,? Brunn said. ?I was out of shape and couldn?t handle all of the running. When track is done I become lazy and lose all of the endurance I developed.?

Although Brunn takes a seemingly cringe worthy shortcut to reduce his time by milliseconds, it may lead to new records and prove to be worth the humiliation.

?I wear a girl?s jersey because it?s smaller and aerodynamically shortens my time,? Brunn said. ?If I get first in my heat, I like to let the guys know they just got beat by a guy wearing a girl?s jersey.?

Jason Harris, Will Heirholzer and David Quenzer run the 4 x 100 with Brunn. Since his speed excels that of his teammates, his position of anchor adds pressure.

?As anchor, I am the last person to run on a relay team,? Brunn said. ?My team relies on me to bring them success.?

A found equivalence in height began a rivalry that formed a lasting friendship.

?Last year, Ryan and I practiced sprinting together while the other sprinters were on the relay team practicing their hand offs,? Harris said. ?We noticed that we are shorter than everyone and about the same height. That started our competition with each other which made running a little more fun as well as helped us stay driven.?

While midway through the season, Brunn continues to break records and placed first in five of his meets. Three of the 1st places were won on April 18.

?I?ve once again broken the 100 meters and the 4 x 100 relay,? Brunn said. ?This year has been more successful for me through the times I?ve been running, but not in the number of wins I?ve achieved.?

Brunn credits his accomplishments to God and his coach and believes in working for personal achievements.

?For those who are interested in track,? Brunn said. ?I would advice them to run a lot and keep their mind set on their goals.?

Brunn also encourages many friends to join.

?Ryan talks about how much he likes track all the time,? Ashley Chavez, ?08, said. ?He?s asked me to join like 5 times but I tell him the same thing every time, that my legs are made for swimming, not running.?

For information on other track members check out Alyssa Boss’, March 9, article, Hurdler tests physical boundries, personal resolve.