At the peak of night, navigating through the rugged terrain of the Clinton Lake North Shore Trails, sophomore Moses Minor competed in his first 35-mile ultramarathon, the Night Hawk, on June 28. At 15 years old, Minor was one of only two runners under the age of 24 participating in the race.

Running an ultramarathon, Minor said, was far from easy. He said the trail tested him with high grass, muddy dirt and steep hills, demanding both mental and physical endurance.

“It’s definitely given me a lot more perspective on what hard things are, and it definitely shows me that I can do a lot more than I think,” Minor said. “I’m much better at taking on challenges and adversity.”

Long distance running is nothing new to Minor. He said he began as a middle school cross country athlete and now competes for his high school in both cross country and distance track events. Before the Night Hawk, Minor said he had already participated in several endurance races, including 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons and marathons.

He first ran in the Night Hawk a year ago, choosing the 20-mile option. That experience didn’t go as planned, but he said it fueled his determination. This time, Minor said he set a clear goal to prepare thoroughly and push for the longer ultramarathon distance even with summer break underway.

Once the race began at 8 p.m, Minor went out to complete three loops of the 10 ½-mile course. After running through the night, he crossed the finish line in eighth place out of 26 racers with a time of 7 hours, 14 minutes, 3 seconds. Minor said reaching the finish line was the fulfillment of a personal goal.

“I was just really happy that I had the opportunity to do that. It was a lot of fun,” Minor said.

Watching him accomplish such a significant milestone, senior Olive Minor expressed deep pride in her brother’s achievement.

“Seeing him finish his first ultramarathon makes me so proud”, Olive Minor said. “He’s worked through so much and trained so hard, and it’s really a testament to his discipline.”

Looking back on his accomplishment, comparing himself to barely being able to run a mile in eighth grade to completing a 35-mile ultramarathon two years later, Minor said that nothing is impossible.

“You definitely can [do the impossible], all it takes is you believing in yourself,” Minor said.