Nick Clark, a Soroco senior cross country runner, took second in the Colorado High School Athletic Association Class 2A Cross County meet Nov. 1, in Colorado Springs. He narrowly missed the top spot by .01 seconds.

He finished with a time of 16:20.08, while St. Mary’s sophomore Ethan Kiptui won with a time of 16:20.07. It was the closest state race since 2015.

Clark’s meteoric running rise started on the gridiron. As a freshman, he suffered a serious concussion that ended his football career. So he took up cross country.

His first year he ran a 28-minute 5K, but improved each year after that. As a junior, he finished 9th in state and had a 7th place finish at the state track meet in the two-mile.

During the race, Clark had separated from Kiptui past the two-mile mark and held onto his lead until the final incline, leading to the Norris Penrose Event Center stadium. However, during the climb, Kiptui closed in and won with a final lean over the finish line.

Clark will graduate in the spring, and wants to pursue a criminal justice degree in college while continuing to run competitively.