Lukas Haug put the finishing touches on a fantastic senior season at the Boys State Cross Country meet this year. A personal record 15 minute 20 second five-kilometer race time earned him a fifth-place finish cemented his performance throughout the season as one of the most dominant in Colorado. 

Haug ran on Boulder High School’s Varsity team for all of his four years at the school, running in an incredibly competitive state that saw 13 runners commit to Division One schools last year. Haug attributes part of his success to the program he ran for. “It’s definitely been a fun group of guys to be around. Coming up from freshman year, I was surrounded by a lot of guys that were faster than me, and [they] were welcoming,” he said. “It was great to have that community surrounding me, and a good team motivating me to be where I am now.”

Haug related that the BHS Cross Country team helped him grow tremendously as a runner to eventually put together a senior season that has turned the heads of collegiate coaches around the country. “My freshman year was definitely the most inspiring and one of my favorite years at Boulder High. [My teammates] were all fun and really brought the cross country spirit.  They were just a fun group of guys to be around.”

Haug also appreciated the experience he had with his teammates while running in areas around Boulder, saying, “My favorite part was probably the conversations we have when we run. We have a bunch of fun inside jokes.” 

His favorite part about the program? “Definitely the running. Being able to go out on trails with my teammates and have fun was definitely the best part.” Haug said his favorite runs were out in Marshall Mesa and Doudy Draw area. For any runners who haven’t visited them with the Boulder High Cross Country team, “Those are definitely the most peaceful,” he said.

While the trails he trained on were peaceful, Haug ran aggressively come race time. He earned All-State Honorable Mentions from CHSAA his sophomore and junior seasons before notching a 1st Team All-State spot this season. “The most important factor [to my success] is probably my training throughout the summer. I started to commit to running fully, and it definitely got me ready for the season [after] building off of all my past seasons. I finally was able to put it together.” 

Haug said that his glamorous race times and finishes came with an ordinary pre-race diet. “I’ll eat some oatmeal for breakfast. That’s go-to. I don’t really eat many snacks, but LarBars are pretty dank,” he said. Haug’s post-race food choices were considerably more interesting.

 “A greasy burger and milkshake is the move,” he laughed. Haug’s warm-up music was less like his breakfast oatmeal and more like the post-finish burger. “I listen to a lot of trashy rap. I’d probably go with No Heart by 21 Savage [before a race].” 

When asked about any advice he’d give to current Boulder High cross country runners, Haug said this: “Keep trying to find the fun and joy in running. Definitely focus more on having fun, even though you must go as hard as you can.” While next season Haug will trade Boulder High short shorts for collegiate ones, he’ll always be on the trail in spirit wearing purple and gold.