Out of all the high school student athletes in Colorado, very few get to accomplish the difficult task of winning a state championship. Those who do are usually older, more experienced, mature upperclassmen, and more in tune with their goals. This, however, is not the case for sophomore Delaney Reuter.
Reuter immediately caught the attention of the cross country community as a freshman, having extreme natural athleticism, relentless drive, and a humble demeanor. She placed 6th at the state championship her freshman year, running a 19:16.5. During the spring of her freshman year, she also competed at the Colorado State Track and Field championships and earned 2nd place in the mile and 3rd in the two mile and 800 meter at state track: an incredible accomplishment for anyone, let alone a freshman.
Though her times were already impressive for a runner at her age, Reuter spent the summer training for her intense upcoming season. “I ran a lot by myself over the summer, and tried to get my mileage up. I would go for a 10 mile run, and I hadn’t done that before,” said Reuter.
Training in conditions like this would ensure a drastic improvement in her times, which would then give her the ability to win the cross country meets – and even state. But initially, Reuter’s focus was on something else.
“I wasn’t necessarily thinking about winning. I was actually training for a half marathon, and so I was thinking about that, and how I needed to get ready for it,” said Reuter. As if cross country distances weren’t enough, she took her training to new levels, and pushed herself to run (and finish first) in the 13.1 mile long race.
After the half-marathon in August, Reuter was able to shift her focus to cross country. Reuter immediately set a high standard for the season, winning every meet from the beginning. Her relentless ambition and determination were so strong that they reflected onto the rest of the team.
Teammate Jax Robson (26) said, “Even though she’s only a sophomore, everyone on the team admires her and her work ethic. She keeps herself dedicated. No matter if she’s had a good or bad day, she’ll always push herself farther than her threshold, just to see how far she can go.”
Reuter’s ability to lead by example provides motivation for the entire team. Robson said, “She’s very dedicated, for her age especially. She won’t go easy on the easy days; she goes harder than everybody else. She goes above and beyond. We have to have our coach tell her to go easy, and run with her to make sure she goes with the pace.”
Going into state, Reuter was expected to win by about a minute, after she won regionals with a time of 17:25.49. Although she was seeded first and expected to win by a significant margin, she remained focused and didn’t underestimate the importance of the race.
To no one’s surprise, Reuter took first at the state cross country meet by 55 seconds, running a 17:26.9. Her time was only 15 seconds behind the 3A boys champion. The state course is one of the most physically demanding courses most of these athletes race on, due to its tumultuous terrain. Given the difficulty of the course, it’s remarkable that her time was only a second slower than her regionals time. Reuter’s unwavering commitment and drive led her to dominating the most important meet of the season.
After a victorious season, Reuter has aspirations of competing on a bigger level. “I have another meet in Arizona for regionals, for the southwest region. If I get a good enough place in that, I can go to Nationals,” Reuter said. Reuter’s goal is to place in the top five at regionals, so that she can be running in December at the national meet. With remarkable accomplishments already behind her, Delaney Reuter’s drive and determination suggest that even greater successes lie ahead as she continues to chase her goals on the national stage.
