THORNTOWN, Ind. — Sixteen-year-old Levi LaGrange wasn’t expecting to get a life lesson while running in a cross country invitational this past weekend in Shelbyville, but he got one and more.
“No matter what, you need to see the good and help people who are in need of anything, whether it’s good for you or not,” Levi said of the lesson he learned.
It all started when the Western Boone High School sophomore twisted his ankle on the last half-mile of the race.
“It just felt like something popped or snapped out of place and it didn’t feel good.” Levi said.
“He was limping after that happened,” said 18-year-old Axel Alemam who was running as part of the Sheridan High School team.
Axel was right behind Levi.
“I stayed with him and started talking to him, asking him if he was OK and if he was still able to run,” Axel said.
“I told him just to leave me and just go and get his best time and go whatever he could do, but he wouldn’t leave my side,” Levi said.
“I was telling him to not give up, that no matter how hard he was going to try, it was going to hurt, but you can keep on going and he can fight through it and that his heart was going to be more powerful then his mind or his body,” Axel said he kept saying to Levi.
“For him to stop and like push me a little bit, just to keep going and tell me not to give up and all that, it was just crazy,” Levi said.
“At the time, I really did not think about it. I just decided to do what I thought was right in my mind,” said Axel.
The teens crossed the finish line together.
“I gave him a hug and thanked him for everything,” said Levi of his new friend.
The moment became a greater lesson for both young men, not just in running, but in life.
That lesson: It’s not how you start the race, it’s how you finish it and who’s there for you along the way.