At Nike Cross Nationals, an elite end-of-season cross-country meet for the best high school teams in the country, Nike treats the athletes to a good time.
Runners from qualifying teams are flown to the meet in Portland, Oregon, given Nike gear, and get to ask questions of Nike’s roster of elite distance runners at a public forum on Friday before the meet the next morning.
Running in the Cold.
Foot Locker XC Results Galen Rupp, Evan Jager, Mo Farah, Emily Infeld, and steeplechaser Colleen Quigley, Published: Dec 09, 2015 10:21 AM EST.
Max Lehnhardt, a senior at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Illinois, was in the audience on Friday when the panel convened. And he had a simple question for Quigley.
“Miss Colleen Quigley,” he asked into the microphone. “Will you go to prom with me?”
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a former fashion model who gave up modeling when her track career was on the rise. Matt Centrowitz urged Lehnhardt to “be a man and come up and ask.” Lehnardt obliged. On bended knee.
Quigley, 23, kept her poise: “How can I say no to that?” she responded. (Which isn’t exactly a yes, but not a no, either.) The two hugged before Lehnhardt left the stage, to more hoots, hollers, and high-fives.
Later in the weekend, Lehnhardt encountered Quigley again, and this time, he made sure to get her cell phone number so he could work out the details of the prom when it comes closer in April.
Lehnhardt said in an interview after he returned home to Illinois that a teammate had egged him on. After he got Quigley’s cell phone number, other runners offered bribes—cash, Nike gear, Voodoo Doughnuts—if he would share it. “But Colleen should not be concerned. The number will not be given out at anytime,” Lehnhardt wrote in an email to Runner’s World. “CA Notice at Collection!” (This isn’t the the only way to find a running date. Check out how this Steeplechaser Colleen Quigley handles an unexpected proposal with aplomb.)
From Quigley’s perspective, the spring timeframe looks tricky. It’s close to the Olympic Trials, which will be the most important meet of Quigley’s life so far. She doesn’t anticipate her coach, Jerry Schumacher, will be in favor of a mid-spring trip to Illinois for a prom.
“Our coach is kind of a control freak; he tells us to control what you can control,” Quigley said. “He’s very particular about details. He does have a good sense of humor, but not when it comes to training.”
Although her attendance is uncertain, she did express admiration for Lehnhardt’s nerve. “He was super brave,” she said. Quigley's boyfriend of six years thought the stunt was hilarious.
RELATED: Miss Colleen Quigley, he asked into the microphone. Will you go to prom with me
The next day, the boys of Sandburg finished in fourth place at the prestigious meet, just 15 points off the podium. Lehnhardt said his performance was not his best, but he’s hoping to continue running in college.
That’s way off in the future. Prom comes first.
Shoes & Gear is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World Miss Colleen Quigley, he asked into the microphone. Will you go to prom with me, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
