Thomas Doss, a senior at St. Charles High School, started running on the cross country team in the fall of 2017, his sophomore year. 

“I like being a part of something bigger than myself,” Doss said.

During his first year on the team, there were many good upperclassmen runners, including Edwin Kipainoi and Dillon Ruble. These two runners are now running in college for their respective schools: Kipainoi for St. Charles Community College and Ruble for Missouri S&T. Despite these good runners, Doss still worked his way onto the varsity team. He credits his love for running to alumni just like Kipainoi and Ruble. 

In his first year on the team, the boy’s team qualified for the state championship at Oak Hills Golf Course in Jefferson City, Missouri. They qualified by getting second place to Lutheran St. Charles in the Class 3 District 4 race in Warrenton, Missouri.

“Being and knowing that we’re the second best team in the district felt motivating and empowering,” Doss said. “Walking through the school crowd towards the bus and looking back at all the work we’ve done over the summer and season, just to get to that point is its own reward.”

Running at state with the whole team is Doss’s favorite moment related to running. 

Another huge moment in Doss’s short career was having the chance to break a world record. Between Aug. 17 and 18, 2019, a team of 10 runners, including Doss, five other current students at St. Charles High School and four alumni, which included Ruble, attempted to break the record for the longest distance run by a coed relay team in a 24 hour hour span. The team broke the record running 222.5 miles. The previous record was 217.48 miles. Breaking the record gave Doss motivation ahead of his senior season.

“If we could run 24 hours,” Doss said, “we could do anything from going to state to just beating the person in front of us. We knew none of them could even think about even trying to accomplish what we did.”

Doss’s teammates are excited to see the way he has been performing so far this year. 

“He’s improved a lot ever since his sophomore year,” captain Jonathan Lopez said. “Seeing him for his senior year in cross country, it makes me very excited to see what he’ll be able to do in track.”

Doss’s performances, including earning first place honors on four separate occasions this year, has Lopez excited about Doss’s contribution to the team this year. 

Doss’s coaches are also excited to see him run this year. 

“I think mentally he doesn’t know how capable he really is, and that is a positive because he just keeps going and running as fast as he possibly can every single day. He doesn’t think too much about it; he just goes out there and runs as fast as he can,” assistant coach Abby Schultehenrich said. 

No one knows what the future holds for him, but Doss has received a few athletic scholarship offers from colleges. Some of these colleges include Central Methodist University and Lindenwood University. Doss’s plan right now is to attend Lindenwood University because he likes the aspect of staying close to home. 

“Everyday he keeps improving, he keeps working harder, so the future is bright for him as long as he keeps up the dedication,” Schultehenrich said.