You would never guess if you saw him walking down the Boys Division freshman hall, but math teacher Christopher Boyle is an Olympic hopeful. Most students know him as a friendly math teacher, however  he might be known as something else this upcoming summer.

Mr. Boyle qualified for the US Marathon Olympic Team Trials after running the California International Marathon in 2019. This meant that on February 29th, he joined 652 Olympic hopefuls in Atlanta, Georgia and ran the race of his life. The top three runners from that event will represent America in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.  Racing to be in the Olympics was not just a random decision for Mr. Boyle, it was a process full of hard work and determination. Boyle’s best time is an incredible 2 hours 18 minutes and 22 seconds.

Running over 26 miles isn’t something you can just jump into. Mr. Boyle spent years of his life running and building up to going the distance that he runs today.

“I started running when I was in fourth grade. I ran cross country from fourth to eighth grade. I stopped doing it when I got to high school because I got too nervous before my races,” Boyle said.

After a couple years off from running, Mr. Boyle had noticed that his brother was really exceeding as a runner. Mr. Boyle, being very competitive, went back to running as a junior in high school forgetting his nervousness.

“At the end of the day, the reason I run is because I love to compete. Put it all out on the line and see who’s the best,” Boyle said.

With any large goal, the journey to achieving it has its ups and downs. Mr. Boyle faced these ups and downs several years before he had qualified for the trials. Mr. Boyle started thinking about the Olympics nine years ago. Because they hold the trials every four years, he started off running for the Olympics in 2012. Unfortunately, he did not make it. Waiting nearly four more years, he tried again for the 2016 Summer Olympics and fell short.

“I started thinking about running three Olympic cycles ago, then I had a lot of ups and downs—injuries, stepping away from the sport. The last year and a half has gone really well being at Regis and finding new training partners. It just clicked this year,” he said.

Mr. Boyles’ previous two attempts for the Olympic Trials did not stop him from going out this year for the 2020 games. In preparation for his marathon, Mr. Boyle sets up goals to make him successful. His goals included running a certain amount of miles a week and staying healthy. With all of his preparations he feels excited rather than nervous to be running for a shot on the Olympic team. The school and his students were excited for him too. His advice for students?

“Enjoy what you do. Sometimes it can be really daunting. Spend time around positive people who support you,” Boyle said.

Boyle completed the hardest race of his life surrounded by his friends and family. He placed 109th out of the 652 runners with a time of 2:25:49.

“It was pretty surreal to see people who have supported me my entire running career waiting for me at the finish line,” Boyle said.