By Matt Browning

Time and time again Trinity Academy’s Clay Shively has proven that he not only is the fastest runner Kansas, but in the entire country.

It’s difficult to dispute that fact after Shively broke Olympian Jim Ryun’s 58-year-old indoor mile by nearly three seconds at the Arkansas Invitational in January.

“Going into the race I didn’t have any specific time goals, my only hope is that I would maybe PR,” Shively said. “Our first split was 61s, which was off to a faster start than I anticipated. Other than that I mainly just listened to my coach, he was giving me my splits. I didn’t know how fast it would be until I finished the final turn and saw four minutes flat on the clock. Once I finished I was super happy to see my time.”

Being able to be the new record-holder is something Shively has not and will not ever take for granted.

“I was beyond honored to break Mr. Ryun’s record,” Shively said. “He is one of the best athletes of all time in any sport, and even better he’s a man of incredible character who has love for the Lord. So to have my name next to his on the Kansas state record list is unreal.”

With all of the recognition Shively has received for his times, records and championships, he does not want to become a prisoner of the moment. Instead, he wants to keep his eye on the future.

“Moving forward my only goal is to run my own race,” Shively said. “It’s easy to get caught up in times or competition but really what’s best for me is to just keep focusing on my day to day training. I hope to set more records in the future but my motivation is more just to do what I can every day to get better.”