Legend has it that Georgia's fastest long-distance runner, Grayson's Kirubel Erassa, was "discovered" in gym class after running a mile in less than five minutes.
That's not exactly the way it happened, recalled Erassa with a big chuckle this week. However, the native of Ethiopia acknowledges he has taken an unlikely path to be among the state's elite pack of high-school runners.
The 6-foot, 134-pound Erassa is a top contender in Saturday's cross country championships in Carrollton. Runners from all five of the state's classifications will chase after team and individual championships -- boys and girls -- beginning at 8:30 a.m.
For starters, Erassa said it wasn't in gym class, but after one week of track practice that he turned heads with the sub-five-minute mile.
"It was my freshman year," Erassa said. "I played on the soccer team. After the season was over, I had nothing to do. I joined the track team just to see how I could do. The coach let me run the JV [junior varsity] mile. I broke five minutes at 4:58. After that, I threw up."
Nevertheless, a star was born that day, one who would never return to the school soccer team. The newest member of Grayson's track and cross country teams won the Class AAAAA championship in the 3,200 meters as a sophomore, along with the 1,600 meters last year.
The fleet-footed Erassa saved the best for his last season in cross country: The senior is undefeated in seven meets, including a multi-state competition at the Gulf Coast Stampede in Pensacola, Fla. He also has the state's fastest time, posting 14:59 at the Early Bird Invitational in Villa Rica.
"I knew he was a pretty good runner," Grayson first-year coach Rob Blaszkiewicz said. "But now he is turning out to be one of the better long-distance runners in the Southeast."
About the only thing that slows down Erassa these days is when classmates and others try to pronounce his name. That's how he developed some of his nicknames, including "K."
"People can say my name," Erassa said. "But some people get frustrated trying to say it. I don't want to make anyone frustrated. I told them to call me ‘K.' My coach came up with ‘The Ethiopian Magician.' I like that. It motivates me to run harder."
When asked about the derivation of the nickname, Blaszkiewicz said, "He just performs magic on the track."
Ethiopia, Erassa's homeland, is known for producing some of the world's best long-distance runners. He and twin sister Tiyo are the youngest of 12 children. Erassa and eight other family members moved to the United States in 2005 for "better opportunities."
Erassa is mulling over several track scholarship offers, which will permit him to become the second person in his family's history to attend college. Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Arizona and Mississippi State are among the schools scouting the late-bloomer.
At Grayson's Tuesday practice, the team gathered together before the afternoon run. While several of the boys were "goofing around" as teenagers do, Erassa walked a few feet away and began an extensive session of stretching.
"All he is thinking about is Saturday," Blaszkiewicz said. "He has two state titles and, quite honestly, this is his ticket to go to college ... he needs to perform well to get a better scholarship. That's what makes him hungry."
Said Grayson teammate Billy Kovalcyzk, "What makes Kirubel such a great runner is that he hates to lose. He's always competitive and wants to win, even if it's practice."
Erassa appears to be peaking at the right time, unlike last year, when he "overtrained." He was so determined to reach his potential that he ran 100-120 miles per week -- double the amount of recommended training. What was the result? Erassa never really increased his speed.
"He could beat any kid in the country in the marathon. ... Too bad that's not a high school event," Blaszkiewicz said.
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