Dedicated: HS Runner Collapses and Crawls Across Finish Line to Secure Championship
- Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:16pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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You might tear up like I did when you watch this video.
San Francisco high schooler Holland Reynolds showed unbelievable determination after collapsing just two yards from the finish line during a recent state meet. As a race official rushes to her side, she rejects any help, knowing that if she is touched she is automatically disqualified. Instead, she drags herself across the finish line. Because she did, her team won the state championship.
She later dedicated the race to her coach who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease. The finish begins around 1:12:
From the New York Times:
Reynolds, 16, a junior, has been a distance runner since she was in third grade. She arrived at San Francisco University High School as a fast freshman in 2008, ended her first season as the team’s top runner and has been the lead runner for the cross-country team ever since.
Her coach, Jim Tracy, 60, arrived at University High School in 1994 and built both the girls’ and boys’ teams into perennial state champions.
Reynolds said Tracy was the best coach she had ever had. “He always tells the truth,” she said. “If you ask him, ‘Well, how do you think I did today?’ he’ll tell you, ‘You had a bad race,’ ” she said. “It’s because of his honesty that when you receive a compliment from him, you know you’ve done really well, and it makes all the runners want to strive to please him.”
Until three years ago, Tracy, an accomplished runner, could keep pace with his fastest runners. Symptoms of his illness began nearly five years ago, he said, when a muscle in his thumb stopped functioning. And last June, he was found to have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
But it is only in the past year that the disease has begun to debilitate him. A.L.S. patients, most of whom eventually lose the use of all but their eye muscles, typically live three and a half to four years after the onset of symptoms, but the range can vary widely.
At the beginning of this season, Jim Ketcham, the school’s athletic director, assembled the team and told the runners that Tracy was very sick. The news devastated the team. “Everybody was crying,” Reynolds said.
Since the start of the season, Tracy’s condition has grown visibly worse. “He’s been falling down sometimes at practice,” Reynolds said. “And he brings a chair to our workouts.”
Last weekend’s state meet in Fresno took place on a rainy, unseasonably cold morning. Reynolds, who was fighting a slight cold, was unaccustomed to such low temperatures, and said she might have misjudged how much she needed to drink.
Just before the 3.1-mile race, the team did its regular cheer, then Reynolds, who is the team captain, led a special cheer for Tracy. “I think that made the team really want to win it for Jim,” Reynolds said.
At the 2.5-mile mark, Reynolds was in third place, pushing for second, among the 169 runners. “I was going to make my move,” she said, “but for some reason my legs just gave out. I was confused, and I started to slow down.”
Tracy was at the team’s tent near the finish line, and he said he knew something was wrong when another University High runner finished before Reynolds. “I thought, ‘This isn’t right,’ ” he said. “ ‘Holland should be here already.’ ”
Tracy, who wears braces on his legs and his back and walks with difficulty, made his way to the course and found Reynolds, half a mile out, barely running and weaving across the course.
“She usually runs with a slightly bent upper torso,” Tracy said. “But this had twisted her over even more. It looked like she was barely able to keep herself stabilized. It was a grisly sight.”
Tracy said Reynolds looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
“But her vision was locked on her goal,” he said. “I’d never seen anything like it. It was like a mask of determination. I’ve seen that so many times when she’s in front, but this time she was getting buried. People were flying past her.”
Within two or three yards of the finish line, Reynolds collapsed, and a race official was at her side within seconds. He told her he could not touch her or help her, but to avoid disqualification, she would have to get over the finish line.
“I said, ‘Are you O.K., and do you want to finish?’ ” said Brian Weaver, the official. “She said ‘Yes,’ and I said, ‘O.K., all you have to do is get your foot across the line, and you don’t have to get up, it’s O.K. if you crawl.’ ”
(via Gateway Pundit)
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Comments (82)
ThoreauHD
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:40pmShe looked like she was having an asthma attack. Not energetic breathing but struggling to breathe. Not good.
Report Post »Nicole in Boston
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:28pmAs a runner, I have seen this happen in real life before. It is truly a miracle from God
Report Post »heavyduty
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:26pmMaybe we could get our politicians to watch this. This is the kind of determination in our government.
Report Post »DogTags
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:19pmI don’t know. It might be the cynic in me but, I‘m not convinced this wasn’t contrived.
Report Post »tbarr4
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:05pmGlenn Beck should have them both on the show to tell their stories. The Soros dems might get off their asses and quit bitching about unemployment benefits being extended for the 100th time!!
Report Post »mtnclimberjim
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:05pmplease don’t be a lib. To cool.
Report Post »youguysready_letsroll
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:05pmI needed to see that. Thanks, Blaze.
Report Post »LibertarianLady
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:01pmThis young woman has the heart and guts of a true winner…in anything she wants to do.AND she dedicated her win to her coach. Wow what a human being! God Bless her. Hope this site follows up and lets us know how she is.
Report Post »bitterclinger
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 9:45pmI sent this to the tip line first thing Friday morning. The site where I read it said she recovered in a few hours.
Report Post »Rowgue
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:52pmI don’t get the big deal. She was dehydrated and cramping, so what. This happens at every cross country meet that has ever taken place. They‘re only trying to talk this up because it’s the star runner on the first place team and they think they found a “Rocky” moment.
Now this http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/highschool/news/story?id=3111847 is real heart and determination.
Report Post »LibertarianLady
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:03pmOh Rowgue…just go away. This kind of thing may happen much more frequently than we see. THAT is just the problem…we, the public, NEVER see this kind of determination…all we are spoon fed is bad news pap.
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:11pmI sure don’t want to see that EVER again. Poor girl, your right she has alot of heart. I don‘t think it means this other girl doesn’t deserve any credit for her effort though.
Report Post »Rowgue
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:13pmIf all you see is what you are spoonfed then that’s your failing. It doesn’t make a case of dehydration cramps any more inspiring.
Report Post »WoodsCrossian87
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 4:33pmIt doesn’t matter whether it frequently happens or not. The value to be learned is there nonetheless. We need to find inspiration in this sort of thing whenever it happens. If this sort of moment truly does occur on a regular basis, then literally thank God.
Report Post »Hairmiester1
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 9:48pmYou are obviously related to the guy on the commercial that uses phrases like “mamby-pamby land”…hope you don’t have kids…ya jack-wagon.
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 9:54pmrowgue… why are you so bitter? This is a truly inspiring act of strength. Why do you feel the need to take the heartwarming joy away from the good people here? Who are you & what is your purpose in life – to bring joy or pain to those you meet every moment of your life ? God Bless you.
Report Post »Rowgue
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 11:34pmI’m not bitter, but thanks for the concern. It’s just not news. Sure she showed some courage and heart by finishing the last few steps of the race, but this happens all the time. It’s ordinary not extraordinary.
I’m not dismissing what she did. It‘s just stupid to take every tiny little example of perseverance and blow it up as if it’s some life altering event to have witnessed it.
Keep up the pointless personal attacks that have nothing to do with the topic though. You can make a good socialist some day.
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on December 4, 2010 at 11:43pmRowgue – I owe you an apology. I am sincerely sorry for the personal attacks. I was just having a bad day. Attacks don’t help. Sorry again.
Report Post »tbarr4
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:47pmGlenn Beck should have Holland on the TV show!!! What a story she could tell to his 30 million viewers!!
Report Post »independentvoteril
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:44pmNow THAT made me actually cry.. it was BEAUTIFUL.. the grit was unbelievable.. Hope she’s OK.. GOD BLESS her and her coach ..
Report Post »8jrts
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:37pmWe should all have her determination, this world would be so much better off. I hope she is feeling better now.
Report Post »J.C. McGlynn
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:36pmJust like that kid with one arm winning his swimming competition. The one thing you can not teach anyone. “DETERMINATION.”
Report Post »MidwestMomof3
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:34pmThat *did* bring tears to my eyes.
Report Post »God bless her and prayers for the coach that can inspire such dedication!
benuhgan
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:34pmNow THAT’S what cross country is all about. It’s all about the strength of the the will of the individual.
Report Post »Brad Wesselmann
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:31pmYou can’t teach “heart”…that is a gift from God. :-)
Report Post »HumanDoing
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:30pmWooo that welled me up…what an iron constitution she has.
Report Post »Independent American
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:30pmGreatness follows learning that if we are to succeed at anything, it us up to each of us to do our best.
Report Post »rlmeals
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:28pmWow, that left tears in my eyes. What determination! I hope she’s well now.
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:27pmI want this girl on my team.
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:48pmCan I be on your team, too?
Report Post »love the kids
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:27pmIt’s nice to see a Republican in San Fransisco, A democrat would have expected someone else to carry her across the line.
Report Post »mrlogan3
Posted on December 4, 2010 at 3:02pmI read this about 3 times and never saw the word Republican.
Report Post »OmegaMan
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:26pmThat’s the girl I want my little boy to marry. Think she’ll be available in 20 years?!?!
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {mix art}
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:23pmI am proud for her dedication; and prayers are offered up for her coach.
Report Post »MeteoricLimbo
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:30pmAmen.
Report Post »bookofwisdom
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:55pmI’m with you Snow. We should all be so blessed as to have people like this on our team. May God Bless.
Report Post »spendthrift
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:21pmAll Americans need to pursue like her……
Report Post »biggreenboo
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:46pmSo… What happened? Just fatigue or something more serious? I‘m glad I wasn’t there… I would have grab her to help and ruined her chance to qualify. Good job by the judge or offishal in stopping and thinking for a split second… and GREAT job on her part… way to push it.
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:21pmGOD bless her.
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:33pmGreat story, hard to believe this coach (who actually tells his atheletes when they do bad) is in Ca, land of ‘everyone gets a trophy’. The coach sounds like a real leader which is evidenced by this exceptional young womans courage. Good for her.
Report Post »knotaclu
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 12:55pmoh my goodness….that was awesome, simply awesome…..On a lighter note, that pack of girls running at the very start of the race toward the camera reminded me of when I was young, had hair, and had to beat em off with a stick, at least that is how I remember it…..
Report Post »Luckywon
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:01pmWow,
Report Post »This story really did make me cry. Wow
BernieKittyCat
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:12pmI fear that the battle for our country will cause all patriots to cross the finish line like this. It’s going to be a hard battle but we WILL finish. God bless Miss Reynolds and Mr. Tracy.
Report Post »jzs
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 3:41pmHere’s one most of your are too young to remember: Julie Moss in the 1982 Hawaii Ironman Triathalon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbWsQMabczM
Report Post »StMichelob
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 8:56pmMore guts than I’ve seen in a LONG time. Future Marine Drill Instructor there.
Semper Fi, Holland Reynolds. You embody those words, “Forever Faithful”
Report Post »Stuck_in_CA
Posted on December 4, 2010 at 7:55amSeems kinda inhumane… It’s all about the Human Spirit, I guess. She has a strong one!
Report Post »uneedmorekoolaid
Posted on December 4, 2010 at 4:20pmguess she isn’t waitin for a bailout
way to go!!!
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