According to Luke, this was supposed to be the year for Mountaineer running glory. Two years ago this weekend, Luke ran with his Western Colorado teammates as a true freshman at the national championship and earned an NCAA Division II fourth place trophy. After that he said the plan was for him to redshirt in 2018 and then go after a national championship in 2019. This year, Luke and his fellow Mountaineer freshmen from the fall of 2017 would have another year of training and the older guys would be at peak fitness and ability. Luke got epilepsy and died when he was headed back to Gunnison to join his Mountaineer brothers. He never got the chance to try to achieve his goal and the team’s goal. Tomorrow, his Mountaineer teammates will compete for a national championship in California. I know the Mountaineers are missing Luke – not just as a friend but as a competitor — but, despite challenges, Western has a chance to win a title. So, boys, when you toe the line tomorrow keep this in mind: Pain is temporary, glory is forever. Repeat that phrase when you get that burn in your throat and your calves start to cramp and you want to take the foot off the gas – Pain is temporary, glory is forever. Run with Luke in your hearts and know that he is proud of you if you leave it all out on the course. I’ve got my FloTrack subscription ready to watch and I’ll be cheering you on from Missouri. Good luck. #LukeLives #LiveLikeLuke #feartheneers https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Mh_LTHOk7/?igshid=1xhzq0bjg9y6i