We Salute Trey Rios, Maize South



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