I was on the team just for fun. I focused on my PRs and that was it. Never got very good relative to the competitive high school runners.

Mostly I ran the 800 and 1600, but for region I was placed in the 3200. Sure I had run that distance or more lots of times before, but always in training and never timed and almost always on the street instead of on the track.

I wasn’t doing too well and was far behind the best runners. I was feeling a bit humiliated.

But then with about half a lap still to go, a girl passed me. I was NOT going to lose to a girl. I just about killed myself but I forced my legs to kick into a higher gear and I passed the girl up with a few yards left beat her by a second or two.

Of course she was coolly walking around, talking and smiling and celebrating her victory in the girls competition. I was off on the side collapsed trying to get a breath in every five nanoseconds.

But I was better than the best girl. The thought of going transgender for my senior year never came to mind, unfortunately. It would’ve been worth it for a potential state title, for sure.