By Cameron Hill

While some may know Mr. Weiss as that teacher with long hair, he actually has many hobbies and talents. From knitting to motorcycles, Mr. Weiss is an expert in many things. One of these things is he is an avid and successful runner.

He stated that he “didn’t really start running competitively until my senior year of high school” and that he “had been a rather poor runner.” However, as he became older, things changed. Mr. Weiss said, “When I turned 18 I decided that I wanted to start competing in triathlons so I figured I needed to learn how to run.” And learn to run he certainly did.

He said, “Once I learned how I really took to it,” and he continued to run because, as he says, “If I run a few miles I usually feel fantastic for the rest of the day.” All this hard work and effort has paid off as Mr. Weiss recently competed in the “Race to the Runway” 5k in Buckeye and won the whole competition. He beat 230 strong competitors to win the race and get the gold medal.

According to Mr. Weiss, his key to winning was his “attitude” and that he “went into the race with the mindset” that he “was going to win.” And indeed he did win! Mr. Weiss said he cherishes the gold medal because, in his own words, “I love trophies and medals.”

However, winning the race did not come without its consequences. To train and do his best Mr. Weiss had to train hard, after taking a year away from running, to be in a position to win a race. This training combined with the stress of running so fast during the race actually caused a stress fracture in his foot which explains why you might have seen Mr. Weiss in a boot recently. Luckily, after a few weeks with the boot, he is okay and has even been able to do some light running.

Mr. Weis, through determination and confidence, became a successful runner.  This story just goes to show that if you put in the work, results will come (even if it takes breaking your foot)!