Jeremy Dodson of George Washington High is in the running for the Gatorade prep boys track and field national honor. Sweep a trio of sprinting events – the 100 meters and 200 meters in record times and the 400 meters – like Dodson did in last weekend’s state 5A meet and that kind of consideration follows.
Dodson is worthy of notice and more because he is an example of intelligence, talent and persistence that is uncommon. He makes your eyes pop on the track. He makes your heart full off it.
He walks like the mythical tortoise. He runs like the fleet hare.
He speaks with a gentle voice and presents humility that fails to portend his age of 17 years.
He was routinely trounced on the track before he entered high school. In last year’s state finals, he finished ninth in the 100 meters and fifth in the 200. Not favored this time around, he hastened to the top at a speed of 10.43 seconds in the 100 meters, 20.70 in the 200 meters and 47.3 in the 400 meters. That 200-meter time is the second fastest in the nation among prep boys.
He is a 4.5 student on a 5.2 grade-point scale in advanced placement classes at George Washington. He has already earned college credits. Once unnoticed, unheralded, colleges are calling, including all of our state’s universities and others ranging from Southern Cal to Arizona State to Texas to Miami.
They want a kid who is 5-feet-11 and 145 pounds. Who has all of his 25 or so track trophies in his dad’s home. Who lives with his mother and younger brother and accepts leadership. Who keeps two shoe boxes full of medals in his bedroom closet.
Who keeps his brand-new state championship medals in his track bag.
“I don’t want to be too cocky,” Dodson said. “I try not to take it too seriously, and I guess that way it all falls together. I don’t think I need to show the world the medals and trophies. I know what I did.
“Running is a way to rest, to put all the stress on hold, to do what I do best. Sometimes I have family stress, school stress, don’t eat enough, have financial problems. But people say I’m always smiling and happy. I hide the stress.”
He runs to escape. He runs to heal. His running helps create his peace. And he runs wondrously despite lingering ailments.
Early in his teens, Dodson loved playing football, quarterback and receiver. But the hits nearly broke him. He suffered constant back, neck and knee pain. He quit and turned to track.
Just before entering high school, doctors told him he should quit track, too. His back was out of whack. His body was not matching his growth spurts. The same day the doctors told him that, Dodson went to the track. And trained harder.
He was able to perform only one event per meet back then because of chronic pain in his knees.
“We literally would have to carry him off the track after his race because he was in so much pain,” said his father, Cyrus. “We have been in and out with so many doctors I think I could be a doctor. They said he would grow out of it.”
It appears he has, though sometimes the aches return. So do the migraines. Sometimes he gets them before racing, like in his regional meet before the state finals. Sometimes they are so violent that he throws up. Then they subside.
Then he runs. Very fast. Very free.
It happened just like that in his regional meet, and he ran a faster time in the 100 meters (10.41) than he did in the state finals.
“It’s happened forever – I’m used to it,” Dodson said.
“His running form is exceptional,” said Richard Nye, his George Washington coach. “He is so smooth, he looks like he is not running. When he gets to college, he will get stronger, eat better, have super trainers and his back and other (injured areas) will strengthen. He will grow more. His stride will grow, and his turnover will be stronger. I’ve coached track for 28 years. Jeremy is the best student-athlete I have ever had. He is Olympic caliber.”
Robert Whitaker, another of Dodson’s coaches in high school and his coach at a Denver track club called DATAC, has watched Dodson run since he was 8.
“He comes from a family of runners, of cousins who all walked and moved so slow and ran so fast,” Whitaker said. “Jeremy used to lose races he could have won. He wanted older guys to get the glory, so he would slow up at the finish line. He is a very kind person who has learned to compete. He has a special gift.”
Actually, Dodson has a few gifts.
He is leaning toward giving them to the University of Arkansas. He was set to attend graduation Saturday. He will run in consecutive DATAC meets in New Mexico, California and North Carolina afterward.
He has risen beyond his restrictions.
He embodies the splendor of sports.
Staff writer Thomas Georgecan be reached at 303-820-1994 or tgeorge@denverpost.com.
