Elijah Armstrong rattles off four names with ease.
Dallin Farnsworth. Erik Harris. Andrew Rafla. Michael Slagowski.
They’re the only members of an exclusive club. One that may never grow in size, but will permanently hold significance.
“Only four kids from Idaho ever to beat me,” Armstrong discloses.
The four of them share a unique bond. Beating Armstrong is only part of it.
They’ve also helped propel Armstrong to become perhaps the greatest prep runner in Idaho history.
“I hate to lose. It’s almost like a little part of you dies a little bit,” Armstrong says.
His bedroom walls are lined with medals. Point one out and he can almost always name it. His losses break a piece of him away. The wins repair the damage.
When Armstrong breaks, it often triggers a ripple effect.
His freshman year, he took sixth in the Bob Firman Invitational, an annual cross country race in Boise that draws runners from multiple states and more than 70 schools. He finished better than any other underclassman and placed 98 spots ahead of the next-best ninth grader.
But he crossed the finish behind senior Erik Harris, the defending 4A state champion and eventual Gatorade Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year in Idaho. Harris edged Armstrong by less than half a second. That was enough to ignite a fire.
“I know I can beat him when it comes to the state championship,” Armstrong recalled.
So he trained. Hill runs. Interval workouts. He either won or finished second in the four races between Bob Firman and the state meet.
Finally, almost a month after Firman, Armstrong and Harris met in the state championship.
“I went after it. I took it out from the gun,” Armstrong said. “And then all of a sudden, on the second loop at Eagle Island, I came down that hill and Erik Harris isn’t there. Come down (to) that 100 meters and 50 meters to go, Erik Harris still hasn’t even turned the corner.”
Armstrong beat Harris by 25 seconds to win his first state title. Then beat him again at the state track meet in the 1,600.
The Idaho State Journal’s Track and Field Boys Athlete of the Year went on to win three more cross country titles, becoming the only Idaho prep runner to capture four state championships. His race against Harris set the tone.
“That probably motivated me for these state championships. That one race in and of itself,” Armstrong said. “Winning as a freshman, knowing as I looked at that and said, OK, I can beat this state champion right now. And then go on to do something that no one’s ever done.”
The emergence of Armstrong as a freshman was unsurprising for those who knew him. He ran the mile in 4:36 as an eighth grader and had all the tools to succeed: A strong mental capacity, steadfast work ethic and a father/coach that won and lost vicariously through his son.
Dallin Farnsworth took note.
“I remember being a junior in high school and seeing the times he was running in middle school, and being really impressed and worried he’d be able to take me down as a freshman,” Farnsworth said.
Farnsworth, a Highland grad and current runner at BYU, a two-time 5A cross country state champ and 3,200 gold medalist, worried about a 13-year-old?
“I knew I would have some great competition,” Farnsworth said.
Armstrong edged Farnsworth to win the 1,600 at the Tiger/Grizz Invitational his freshman year.
Farnsworth’s fears were validated. The kid was legit.
Armstrong’s success only built in the years to follow. He narrowly missed winning a track and field triple crown his sophomore year and set state championship records in the 1,600 and 3,200 as a junior. He competed in the Foot Locker Nationals twice and finished third his senior season. He won the Foot Locker West Regional in December and the New Balance Nationals in New York twice. He ran for Team USA in Scotland this winter and in the Prefontaine Classic in May. He won the Simplot Games in February.
On the first day of the 4A state championships this spring, Colton Biedenbach and Bryce Lee sought an autograph. The two Twin Falls seniors approached the Pocatello tent, where Armstrong unassumingly waited for his start time to near.
“What if he becomes an Olympian someday,” Lee reasoned.
Armstrong gladly signed their race bibs.
Later that afternoon, Armstrong outran Biedenbach by nearly two minutes in the 3,200 final. The next day, he beat Lee by 29 seconds and won the 800-meter title and defeated both runners in the mile.
Lee and Biedenbach wore their signed souvenirs the whole time. They marveled at Armstrong. And yet they knew they had no chance to beat him.
“You go into the race knowing you’re going to lose by a lot,” Biedenbach said.
Armstrong completed his second straight triple crown that weekend. He finished his high school career with 13 state championships between cross country and track.
What does it all mean? That’s for history to decide. But for now, without even looking through hundreds of pages of records, it’s easy to assume Armstrong is the most successful and decorated prep runner Idaho has ever called its own.
Armstrong’s departure from Pocatello High is bittersweet for the southeast Idaho running community. Many may never see him race again. But it gives way for the next legends to make their mark.
Even for those who Armstrong beats, breaks down and drowns small pieces of, there’s inspiration. Middleton senior Austin Fred finished second to Armstrong in three state championship races this past season. He credits Armstrong with pushing him to set a personal record in this year’s 3,200 state championship race.
“Without him in those races, that probably wouldn’t have happened,” Fred said.
As Armstrong broke the tape to win the 800, his final individual competition as a high schooler, he was two seconds off his career best. Three seconds slower than Nick Symmonds’ 4A state record. No fireworks would conclude a remarkable career. He wasn’t pushed hard enough.
He barely broke a sweat.