FARMINGTON -- Not everybody would finish a 3200 meter run when one shoe comes off one-and-a-half laps into the race, but Farmington's Micah Grusing courageously ran full stride.
His mother, Mindy Grusing, didn't realize what happened until the race was over.
"I didn't even notice because he kept running so hard," Mindy Grusing said.
Top Notch Competition
Micah pulled off a modern exploit at the high school level parallel to one of the greatest victories in American sports. His seventh place finish running with one shoe during 3200 meter finals at the Class 4A State track and field meet hosted by Harrison on May 3 conjures up images of U.S. Olympian Jim Thorpe winning the 1500 meter with a pair of mis-matched shoes in 1912. Thorpe's shoes were stolen after the first day of competition, but he didn't let that slow him down.
While Thorpe wanted to excel at the 1912 Olympics held at Stockholm, Sweden, Micah Grusing entered the Class 4A 3200 meter with clear expectations -- none of which included running without one shoe.
Grusing thought he might place as high as third or possible even second if he had a good race, but what he was really shooting for was the Farmington school record in the 3200 meter of 10:16.77 held by teammate Mason Gansz, who had just won the 800 meter state championship. Micah Grusing ran a 10:19.81 in the same 3200 meter when Gansz set the school record at the Lion Invitational hosted by Gravette on April 14.
"The second through the ninth ranked runners in the state. we were all within 15 seconds of each other. It was a big group of guys up there," Micah Grusing said.
Gansz, his classmate, teammate and training partner, said the 2022 competition represented top of the line 3200 meter runners.
"At almost every other 4A meet the time he ran (10:20.45) would have won. In 2019 the winning time was 10:26. Seventh place is absolutely phenomenal for the field," Gansz said.
Micah Grusing agrees, saying, "The field was the fastest in 4A that it's ever been."
Refusal To Quit
Micah Grusing experienced leg pain in the last two-and-a-half weeks of the spring track and field season leading up to the state meet, which made him nervous going into the state 3200 meter run.
"I didn't want to either step out or not even get to run because of it," Micah Grusing said.
He'd been examined and doctors informed him the pain had something to do with where the muscle attaches to the bone. It was not a stress fracture. Icing his legs and working it out helped alleviate the pain.
Micah Grusing was barely into the second lap of the eight lap race when another runner wearing cleats stepped on his shoe pulling it off.
"When it happened, I thought for one second to step off," Micah Grusing said.
He discarded the notion as quickly as it entered his mind, and re-framed his thoughts throughout the race.
"If I'm here, God's already given me the ability to run and so I just tried to keep pushing although it took a toll on me mentally," Micah Grusing said. "I was thinking a lot in that race about having to get my feet in the right position. I just kept pushing myself."
Critical to finishing the race would be avoiding getting his bare foot stepped on by someone wearing cleats.
He told himself, "don't give up," and kept running.
Adapt And Overcome
A capacity to improvise under duress separates finishers from those who fade by the wayside. This new experience challenged Micah Grusing on three levels simultaneously, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
"That's never happened before. I've had my toe spiked up in cross country races lots of times. It doesn't hurt as much," Micah Grusing said. "I was just nervous about getting my foot stepped on."
In cross country a lot of runners don't wear spikes, but on the track Micah Grusing knew he had to be careful.
"It was really weird running with one shoe. Every person out there except me was running with spikes," Micah Grusing said.
Every step required self reinforcement during the journey to the finish line.
Micah Grusing recalls his mindset, reminding himself, "I want to do the best that I can. I don't want to let my team down at state. I'm running with all my buddies. All of these guys are all nice and I'm just going to stick with it and run with them if I can."
Micah Grusing tapped into strength from the collective group of competitors. He isn't sure how many of his fellow competitors knew what happened, saying, "Maybe, two or three noticed."
"My buddy, Grandon Grant, [a Pea Ridge junior], might have noticed," Micah said.
Micah Grusing and Gansz developed a strong friendship with Pea Ridge distance runners, who had soundly beaten the Cardinals during the fall at the Class 4A State cross country meet. The Blackhawks got in the faces of the Farmington duo daring them to beat Pea Ridge during the spring track and field season if they could.
Grandon's younger brother, Tian Grant, a Pea Ridge sophomore noticed. He came up to Micah Grusing after the race and said, "Bro, you ran without a shoe."
Grandon Grant finished second in 10:06.00 while Tian Grant placed third with a time of 10:12.07.
One competitor from the race, De Queen's Johnny Sanchez, who finished fourth with a time of 10:14.44, will now be Micah Grusing's teammate in college with both attending Northwest Arkansas Community College at Bentonville.
Conflicting Emotions
Conflicting emotions greeted Micah Grusing once he crossed the finish line.
The exertion of running with uneven steps took a physical toll. When Micah Grusing finished one toe on his bare foot had probably the biggest blood blister he's ever known. He didn't feel it during the race. His adrenaline was pumping.
"I didn't have a final kick to the finish line," Micah Grusing said. "It stinks, it was my last race of my high school career, but I'm thankful to God because I was able to finish."
Even without that kick, Micah Grusing came within one second of his personal record (10:19.81) by running the 3200 meter in 10:20.45.
Grusing could have confronted the runner, who cleated him and caused his shoe to come off, but that wasn't his preferred option. Instead he simply walked off after completing the race.
"God gave me the ability to run so I'm going to do the best that I can and follow that. You want to be the best sport you can be in anything you do. It was the right thing to do just walking off," Gruising said. "I wanted to be mad, but I couldn't be mad because I was able to finish the race. I'm just disappointed and sad because nobody wants to have their shoe clipped off in their last race."
One of his Farmington teammates, Jordan Paine, from the girls team went and retrieved the shoe and brought it to Grusing.
The shoe has a scrape and a little hole in it, but Grusing plans to keep using the same pair for now.
"I think I'll always remember that race, every time I put them on, every time I race. They did good for me this season," Micah Grusing said. "I was going for the school record, and maybe second or third place at state. I just barely missed it."
His mother, Mindy Grusing, described the bittersweet finish during a May 4 social media post, writing, "I am sad for him, but proud. He has a sore hip and ankle and a huge blood blister on his toe, but he finished strong in spite of the circumstances."
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Farmington 2022 graduate Micah Grusing avoided getting stepped on after losing his right shoe during the 3200 meter finals at the Class 4A State track and field on May 3, 2022, at Harrison. Grusing ran well despite developing a blood blister on his toe finishing the race in 10:20.45 only one second off his personal record of 10:19.81 established earlier during his senior season.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Farmington 2022 graduate Micah Grusing adapted to running with one shoe and overcame mental anguish as well as physical challenges during the 3200 meter finals at the Class 4A State track and field on May 3, 2022, at Harrison. Grusing's right shoe came off about 550 meters into the race. He thought going in he might get a shot at the school record of 10:16.77 set by teammate, Mason Gansz, on April 14, at the Lion Invitational hosted by Gravette.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Farmington 2022 graduate Micah Grusing demonstrates the difficulty in running with one shoe off. An accident forced Grusing to run six-and-half laps of an eight lap 3200 meter at the Class 4A State track and field on May 3, 2022, at Harrison. Grusing came into the race hoping to contend for third or even second place.