Cross-country runner junior Dylan Blumenthal made Wilson history on October 6 when he broke the school’s 5k record. He finished with a time of 16:37, edging the previous record by a mere second.

The Wilson boys and girls cross-country teams traveled to Cary, North Carolina for the Great American Cross Country Festival, where high schools from across the East Coast competed in 5k races at Wake Med Soccer Park.  

Blumenthal, along with the rest of Wilson’s varsity boys, ran in the “Blue” division, in which he finished seventh. When he crossed the finish line, Blumenthal had no idea of the feat he had just accomplished. “I didn’t know [I’d broken the record] until after the race, but when I finished the race I looked at my time and saw it was a personal best by a decent amount,” he recalled.

Soon after the race, one of Blumenthal’s teammates suggested that his time might be a Wilson record. The team then contacted former teammate and Wilson sports history expert Isaac Frumkin, who clarified that Blumenthal had just made school history.

But Blumenthal’s triumph over a nearly-30-year-old record (according to Frumkin) was no cakewalk. “I’ve been running at least five days a week since June,” he said. “When you have consistency and you have workouts that get you ready, it’s manageable.”

Despite his impressive time and being named DCIAA Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year, Blumenthal still isn’t satisfied. “I’m ready to bring [my time] down even more.”