Name: Trey Rios
School: Maize South High School
Q: What does your training look like right now given the current situation?
A: I am trying to follow the same training plan I had before the season ended with running
six days a week, Tuesday and Thursday being hard workouts, Saturday is my long run day,
and the other three days are recovery/easy runs.
Q: What are you doing to stay busy other than run right now?
A: Other than running I have watched a lot of netflix shows that I've been wanting to watch
and have started mowing lawns again for the season that is keeping me busy at least for
now!
Q: What was your most memorable race/moment?
A: The most memorable race would definitely be state by freshman year. We were running
in Wamego at the 4A state cross country meet, it was a hot and windy day, and the boys
race was the last of the day, so we had the worst conditions to run in. Coming into the meet
we were the favorites, but about everything went wrong for us that day and as a freshman, I
was traditionally our #5 guy, but that day I had to step up and finished as the #3 runner on
our team. After the race we thought we had lost the race, so we were standing over at the
stadium before the awards ceremony anxiously awaiting for the results, and then our coach
came over to us and told us we had actually won by just five points!
Q: What was the funniest thing that happened during your running career?
A: When it was the morning of rim rock and our coach came to wake us up and knocked on
the door and said in an Arnold Schwarzenegger voice "rise and shine, its butt whooping
time"
Q: Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
A: My biggest competition over my four years was the entire Andover team. Our team and
theirs would go back and forth beating each other at meets over the years.
Q: What was your greatest accomplishment?
A: My greatest accomplishment was getting first place as an individual and as a team at the
regional cross country meet my senior year.
Q: If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high
school?
A: I wouldn't do anything differently, my high school career was a beautifully bumpy ride that
taught me so many lessons that I will never forget.
Q: What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
A: I had two major obstacles I had to overcome throughout my running career in high
school. The first one was my freshman year, over the summer our head coach, Coach
Birdsell, unexpectedly passed away. It was difficult to handle since he had been the coach
at the school since it opened. He just had this incredible personality and really hurt to lose
someone like that in my life. Over that season we ran for him and wrote "run for the bird" on
the back of our calves at each race, remembering him throughout the entire season. At the
end of the season we were hopefully able to make him proud, with both the boys and girls
teams winning state, the first two in our schools history. The second obstacle was during
both my sophomore and junior track seasons I faced illnesses and injuries midway through
each season that ultimately held me back from getting to achieve the goals I had originally
set out for.
Q: What will you miss the most?
A: I will miss the Wichita area runners I got to run against every season that were such great
competition. I will also miss my team who was always like my second family to me and was
always there when I needed them.
Q: What advice would you give to younger athletes?
A: There will be roadblocks you run into along your career, use the lessons you learn from
overcoming them to become a better runner and person.
Q: What kind of an impact has your coach had on you and your team?
A: Having had four different coaches throughout high school they each had a different
impact on me, but my coach this year, Coach Amber, had a profound impact on me as she
won a state cross country title her junior year and because of that she taught me to believe
you can achieve your goals, no matter how crazy they may sound.
Q: What are your college plans?
A: I am still undecided, so stay tuned!
Q: Who would you like to say 'thank you' to?
A: I cannot give a big enough of a thank you to my mom and dad who were always there
supporting me along my journey, and I would like to thank the lord for the gift of running he
has given me. Finally a huge thank you to everyone who supported me over all of these
years by showing up to meets and being the loudest people on the course and track!
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A: I will really miss the funny conversations I have with my teammates on runs.
Q: Favorite Meal?
A: Chick-Fil-A, it has always been the meal I have the night before a race.
Q: If you could be any animal what would you choose? and why?
A: A lion because they're still really fast and the king of the jungle.
Q: Your favorite superhero?
A: Iron Man