Before Durango High School’s David Moenning went to the Colorado High School Activities Association’s 4A State Track and Field Championships, he was looking forward to the time away from the track, with his teammates, one last time.
Moenning went out to Jefferson County Stadium, in between the irreplaceable time he’d spend with some of the best friends he’ll ever have, and performed better than anyone in the history of Durango High School.
The senior won two state titles, broke two school records, posted the third best 800-meter run time in the history of CHSAA’s 4A classification and seventh best in CHSAA history in all classes. He came out of the weekend ranked 30th in the nation in the 800 and is a three-time All State recipient. He is the first Durango High runner to win two state titles at one meet and the second ever to win three in one year.
However, when Moenning looks back on the record-setting weekend, the thoughts will be no different than they were heading into it.
“We’ve been through a lot together here and accomplished a lot as a group,” Moenning said. “The way I see it, it’s the time spent formulating a game plan and talking about the things we want to accomplish that really made the difference in the end. If I wouldn’t have envisioned it already and set goals with these guys, there’s no way any of it would have happened.”
It’s one thing for a high schooler to say the right thing about his team, but Moenning’s actions prove he’s genuine. Instead of running an individual 400-meter race, Moenning chose to run with the 4x800 team on Thursday and drop the 400 completely. They were underdogs to the Palmer Ridge team, and after two legs, it looked like Moenning might regret not going alone in the 400.
With six teams ahead of them after half the relay, it wasn’t looking good. However, Seamus Millett picked up a few spots in the third leg to set up an incredible final leg that had the state buzzing. When Moenning got the baton, he tracked down the leaders, and his 1:51 split led the Demons to a state title and new school record of 7:53.60.
Friday’s 800, however, was the one he had been plotting to win for awhile. While the groundwork was laid four years ago, the real preparation for state began when he finished third as a junior with a time of 1:55. At some point soon after, he wrote “1:52” on his arm and kept it there knowing he’d have another chance.
Two weeks before the state meet, instead of taking all of his runners to the Southwestern League Championships, head coach David McMillan wanted to send some of his top talent to Pueblo to scout the other top dogs in the state. Moenning ran the 800 in 1 minute, 57.11 seconds and finished in second place behind Pueblo Centennial’s Michael Duran.
It was Duran specifically who they wanted to scout, and when it was all said and done, Moenning approached a nervous McMillan and said “We got this.” They looked at the “1:52” on Moenning’s arm and started forming a plan.
“We scouted all of the kids, but Duran was the one I wanted to really prepare for,” McMillan said. “I wanted him to see how Duran raced, and it was a valuable experience.”
The preparation was key as Moenning stuck to the game plan and timed Duran’s kick perfectly. While the others fell by the wayside, Moenning steamed past them, too. The clock read 1:52.26 when he crossed the line.
“As a team, we had the motto, ‘MIB: Mind in the boat’ from a book we all read,” said Moenning, son of Amy and Joshua Moenning. “I actually heard (Harry Steinberg) yelling ‘MIB’ early in the race and I got dialed in mentally. It went just as we envisioned.”
After the win, as the defeated runners fought for oxygen at the finish line, Moenning went from competitor to competitor to pat them on the back and congratulate them on a great race.
“The other coaches and parents noticed that, and that’s just the kind of person David is,” McMillan said. “He’s completely selfless. When he wins, the credit and the thoughts go to others, not himself. When the team wins, it’s the other guys that pulled him through. He’s a special kid. I got so many compliments at the meet, but that’s what David Moenning is all about.”
Moenning will go on to compete in Cross Country and Track and Field at Western State University with fellow teammates Jordan Helms and Nicholas Turco, along with a host of other familiar names from the state meet. He has an interest in biology and has a knack for business, but hasn’t had much time to plan his collegiate goals yet. Perhaps when the “1:52” finally fades off his arm, Moenning will replace it with another mark destined to be broken.
jfries@durangoherald.com
Behind the scenes
What is your nickname?: D-Money is what my friends call me.
Do you have any pre-race rituals or superstitions?: Olive Garden the night before and I pray throughout my warmups.
Where’s your favorite place to run?: Around here, probably Slime Gulch.
What kind of music do you listen to when you run or before a race?: I like music with no words. It helps me visualize and get into a mental zone. Classical stuff or like movie soundtrack background music.
Who is your favorite runner?: David McMillan. We pulled up some articles after we saw him run up Kennebec Pass and saw he ran a 4:17 mile and won a race when he was in his 30s. That’s impressive.
What is your favorite book?: The Boys in the Boat
What place would you like to visit one day?: Amazon River. All the different species of animals fascinates me.
What are the best running shoes?: I have a pair of spikes I got my freshman year, but I blew them out before the state meet and taped them up. They didn’t hold up, though, and I had some nice new spikes for state.
What other sports would you play if you didn’t run?: I actually played football my freshman year and played linebacker and tailback.
What is your favorite outdoor activity other than running?: Ultimate Frisbee.
