Watch this video–and get ready for chills up your spine!
Matthew Elliot came out of nowhere and took 4th in the 1500m at the USATF National Championships. Matthew is not a pro runner; he teaches kindergarten through 3rd grade for special needs children. He was not an elite runner; in high school, his best mile time was 4:40, his best 3200 in high school was 10:50. Yet now Matthew may have a chance to represent the USA in the world championships this summer.
Matthew’s story means a lot to me. Here is an athlete with high school times that were good but certainly not world class yet he worked and was persistent and yet he achieved so much. Matthew’s times are not untouchable–Rohan, Zach, Emilio, Liam, Brent and Jeffrey all hit his high school times last season (boys, think about that as you do your work this summer!). I love the example of the underdog who gets so far from hard work. So motivational. Boys and girls, you might not think you can run in college, you can do this too! Don’t let others impose limits on you, don’t impose limits on yourself, work hard and see where you can go. I guarantee that you have the ability to go farther, and accomplish more, in running and in life than you think you can, if you are willing to dig in and do the work. Let’s go and really blow it out next season!
I really love the unbridled joy that Matthew shows in the interview. It’s what I see in our Monta Vista kids when something amazing happens. I love watching professionals do their thing on the track…but I really love seeing people have pure joy in their accomplishments (think Mo Farah and Galen Rupp after the Olympic 10,000m, too). We work so hard, we should celebrate the victories too.
So cool.
Here is a video of the race itself.
Here is an article on Matthew, written after his USATF race.
Who knows how far we can go? The answer is unknown…and unknowable.