Last week, Peak to Peak Charter School (Colo.) runner Brandon Ries died after collapsing in the third mile of a cross country race.
Ries was a senior co-captain of the team at the charter school in Lafayette, 10 miles east of Boulder. The 18-year-old excelled in math, science, and music, was considering several colleges including Colorado School of Mines and Johns Hopkins University.
“Brandon was incredible athletically, academically, and musically, but mostly as a human being,” Peak to Peak cross country and track coach Kim McConnell told Runner’s World. “It really sounds cliché when people say, ‘This kid was so great.’ But Brandon really was. He was that kid in the school every single person just loved.”
On Friday, a service for Ries was held in Erie, Colo., with hundreds in attendance.
The cause of death has not been determined. Ries suffered from asthma and allergies, but his coach told Runner’s World there had been no signs he was having complications in the days and weeks leading up to the meet.
Ries is survived by his parents and two younger sisters.
“We have read in the papers that Brandon is dead,” McConnell said at the service, per the Boulder Daily Camera. “But don’t believe a word of it. He is more alive now than ever.”