On the Edge

Mike Destache approaching the finish. Photo by Jim Ferstle

St. Paul Academy's Mike Destache gave it everything in winning the Boy's HS Maroon race at the Griak Invitational.  "I couldn't feel my legs," he said about the final stretch of the race.  Destache led from the gun and built up a seemingly insurmountable lead, but as he came down the final straight the "wheels" were coming off.  Roseville's Collin Kiley was closing fast and ended up finishing two seconds behind Destache.

Colin Kiley stretching it out near the finish. Photo by Jim Ferstle

After he'd finished Destache was walking around in a daze.  His respiration rate was up.  His eyesight would fade in and out.  Thanks to one of the women working in the medical tent, Destache got water, instructions on breathing to get more oxygen into his system, a plastic bag with ice to put on his neck. Slowly things began to return to normal.  But even after he was able to walk around he said: "I still can't feel my arms."

That loss of sensation soon went away as well, but his experience gave a new illustration of "giving it your all."  Results for the Maroon HS Boy's race are HERE.

In the girl's HS Maroon race there was not a repeat of that drama.  River Falls' Annie Frisbie went from the gun.  Was passed in the last third of the race by Shorewood's Morgan Floresheim, but retook the lead with about a mile to go and never looked back.  Frisbie went into the race thinking she could win and that the battle would be with Floresheim.  When Floresheim passed her, however, she thought she would end up in second.

When she saw that Floresheim was not pulling away, she gave it one more try and quickly reeled in Floresheim and steadily pulled away to gain a winning margin of 12 seconds.

Race results are HERE.