Pure Sole: Vomit, REI and a Diet Coke with a splash of lime

Only one time in my life have I run so hard that I had to vomit when I crossed that particular “glory days” event.

It is not that I haven’t run hard since.

It is just being that dedicated of an athlete striving to make the ultimate sacrifice for the team, God and country…Well, that is hard work. That takes a special kind of runner.

At the high school state championships last weekend, I saw those runners.

If one did not stagger wearily after crossing the finish I did not see it.

Some expelled nourishment consumed before the race. Not attractive but in an athletically inspiring way, it was beautiful.

Some cried. Both in happiness and in perceived shortcomings. And that was inspirational.

For me, this was the hardest state meet I have covered. Suffering from an Achilles injury caused by a bad shoe rub and overtraining for the USATF masters cross-country championships coming up in December, I was limited to a walk while searching for the best photos instead of gleefully prancing through forested shortcuts in pursuit of wickedly fast Southeast harriers.

So I became more exposed to the mid-range runners and observed just as much sweat and desire as their teammates and competitors ahead. And that was inspirational too.

I hoped my interviews had not been erased and that my photos were clear and that I wouldn’t short-sight an athlete as I cannot possibly mention each one.

And I had very little free time after the event.

I had to fill gas in my rental car, empty the trash that had accumulated and been strewed around inside and “accidentally” program my phone to take me to an REI experience BEFORE the rental car return.

I seem to interact more with Juneauites shopping abroad than anywhere else at home.

Almost guiltily, JDHS athletic director Julie Hermann and I exchanged downward nods and pleasantries as we passed at the REI entrance. Basically that embarrassed, “Yes, I’m not shopping locally but cripes! Have you seen the selection and prices there??!!” look on our faces.

I still had TSA to deal with.

Just two weeks ago, one agent down south did a 10-minute inspection of my small jar of gifted homemade salsa. She held it up in the light, turned it over and over, dangled it upside down and tapped the lid before taking it over to her supervisor, who quickly gave it a thumbs down.

“My supervisor said if it is spreadable it cannot fly,” she said in an uncaring simplicity, clearly not understanding the breakthrough of trust the gift-givers had shown in their acceptance of me as a brother-in-law.

I glanced at the supervisor who, somehow, had peanut butter and jelly and a loaf of bread and was building a traditional form of human nourishment. All items I could not find were sold inside the checkpoint.

Swedish Klas replied to her, “You took away my salsa but not my guns” and I flexed what biceps had bulged during the hefting of two overpacked and oversized carry-on bags.

Hey! I said it in Swedish — so it just appeared as if I had something stuck in my throat — and the gesture was as if I were straightening my baggy shirt.

In Anchorage, TSA made it a point to rush 40 other passengers behind me as I struggled to release the hold my stinky shoes had on my feet, unload a computer, a mouse pad that always gets a “drug” screening for some reason, a baggie of multiple snacks including a bag of chips that required extra screening because I had crushed them up into a salad topping, and a multitude of hurriedly stowed camera batteries and my assortment of hygiene products — because a conscientious traveler is a good seatmate.

On the flight back from Anchorage I was seated in the back of the plane…the back of the pack…with many JDHS runners who probably were unaccustomed to that position.

I had an aisle seat, inside position if you will.

The top runners were all there…even Craig DIII state champion, sophomore Aulis Nelson. His trophy was nearly as big as he is and he had a few issues trying to arrange it in the overhead bin so it arrived at his next stop with all the shining fixings still attached.

JDHS runners were all around — a few Juneau Huskies football players were a few seats front.

Senior harriers Ida Meyer, Nick Iverson, Ferguson Wheeler, sophomores Erik Thompson and Logan Fellman…just to name a few.

I must admit I was out of my element. This could have been a “Ted Talk” on The Top 100 Things To Do With Your Cell Phone That Won’t Get You Expelled.

Clearly I had gotten on the wrong flight as this one was headed for Science Camp, not returning from the most strenuous of athletic achievements.

To my right was Crimson Bears freshman Nevah Lupro and to her right junior Della Mearig. Lupro had just run in the biggest stage of her just beginning career. Mearig was key in helping her now-defunct Thunder Mountain traditions merge with those of JDHS.

Again my mind was blown when Lupro ordered a “Diet Coke with lime, please.”

“Fancy,” I said and it drew a laugh. Whew, I am almost relevant in a “dinosaur caught in a tar pit as the meteor hits” kind of way.

I had no clue that packets of lime crystals were even available on Alaska Airlines flights.

Seriously, when peanuts disappeared, and then pretzels were replaced with those cookie Biscoff things that were discontinued briefly for a month and had me ready to fight back — You Can Take My Leg Room But You Can Never Have My Biscoffs — I thought I had seen it all.

And now a day ahead of every flight your phone flashes a chance to pre-order snacks for a price??!!

I thought, “What else could blow my mind up here in the clouds? Where is that in-flight surprise of boarding ahead of your lettered group, stashing a bag numerous seats ahead of where you actually plant your butt and settling back after takeoff to await an elbow-busting cart full of the least interesting selections of nourishment?”

Well, I guess finding out that today’s youth are smarter than my classmates and me, and they still accomplish much by training hard all season and achieving great teammate status, and yes, contrary to my “old man in-my-day perceptions” that social media is evil, they all seemed to be in a place their school and family can be proud of.

I even heard a homework lesson discussed! What??!!

Yes, even though they spent the hour-and-a-half nearly suffering nose burns from their cell phone screens as they engaged with each other to some degree with videos of their runs or photos of their runs or witty TikToks of their runs shared.

Even the coaches are younger than I and do not require reading glasses for their phones.

After various snippets of conversation with Lupro and as the flight ended I said, “It is going to be cool to see if you order Diet Coke and lime on your return flight as a senior with the state championship.”

Said Lupro, “We’ll see…”

In a few years, if the travel gods do replace Diet Coke with Pepsi or lime packets with some other “company analytically researched refreshment crystal,” there will still be this standard on board: Talented and smart JDHS athletes.

• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.