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GRANITE CITY - There was nothing that could stop Granite City's eighth-grade distance standout Landon Harris Saturday at the Illinois Elementary School Association Boys State Cross Country Meet at Maxwell Park in Normal. Harris recorded a time of 10:26 to capture the two-mile IESA state championship race.
Harris, a Coolidge Middle School student in Granite City, slipped and fell at the start of the competition, but he jumped back up and sprinted to the front of the pack and never looked back. It was the first Granite City state distance title in boys' cross country. Harris posted his best time of 10 minutes flat at the sectional qualifier for the state meet.
Landon Harris is a Stillwater Senior Living Male Athlete of the Month for Granite City.
When he finished, his coach Tom Miller said Landon was exhausted but just ecstatic to bring home the state title in front of many in his family and hundreds of others present. Landon also takes an inhaler to meet and battles asthma. Miller said his runner uses his inhaler right before he races each time.
“This was very special,” Coach Miller said of his youth’s accomplishment. “He has dedicated his life to running and this is a great thing. It is awesome to see a local kid like him do so well and such a joy to do it for the community.”
Granite City firefighter Scott Nonn was part of the fire truck/police escort across the city for Landon. He said he and the other first responders were so proud of Landon and what this meant for the Granite City community.
Miller said the “sky is the limit” as Landon heads into high school and he sees him with the potential to be a standout cross country and track distance runner even by his freshman year.
