Boe knows pain, victory

For Kyle Boe, running the 1,600 meters with a blister on his foot in temperatures reaching the mid-70s was a welcome burden.

Heck, the Columbia River senior would probably just as soon run barefoot. In 100 degree weather. On cobblestones.

“Like any race, it hurts,” Boe said Friday after winning the event at the Class 3A Greater St. Helens League district meet at McKenzie Stadium. “That’s half the fun, knowing you and the other guys are out there dying.
It’s whoever has the most guts.”

Boe finished in 4:21.87, about 4.5 seconds ahead of runner-up Josh Reiter of Camas. That followed Boe’s victory in the 3,200 during the first day of the meet on Wednesday.

“I just really want to get my 3,200 time down,” he said, “and to do that you have to run the mile.”

As part of that quest, Boe finds inspiration from American distance-running icon Steve Prefontaine.

“To quote Prefontaine, ‘To do anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift,’ ” he said.