You won't believe this kid from South County
Look—I’m gonna be real with you. When I was a senior in high school, my biggest accomplishment was probably figuring out how to get my '87 Monte Carlo to start on a cold winter morning down by Tower Grove Park. Maybe I aced a history test. But this kid, Gus Gross from Lutheran High School South, he just completed an Ironman race. As a *senior* in high school. I mean, where'd you even find the time between Friday night lights and figuring out where to get some Ted Drewes on a summer night?
This ain't no casual 5K around Forest Park, folks. This is a full-blown Ironman: a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and then a full 26.2-mile marathon run. All in one day. He made a promise to himself as a freshman that he’d do it before he graduated, and he actually pulled it off. Most freshmen are still figuring out which bus to take to the City Museum. I can barely get myself motivated to walk from my front door to my car on a Monday morning, and this kid is out here swimming across lakes and cycling for half a day.
### What This Means for St. Louis
* **Grit is Real:** It just reminds you that St. Louis breeds a certain kind of stubbornness, a refusal to quit. We see it in how we keep fighting for this city, even when folks wanna talk us down. * **South County Strong:** Yeah, it's South County, but it's still the Lou. Good people doing incredible things, flying under the radar. * **Inspiration, Plain and Simple:** If a high schooler can accomplish something like this, what's stopping the rest of us from chasing down our own wild goals?
I’m gonna be real with you, this is the kind of story that makes you stand a little taller, makes you believe in the impossible. This kid, Gus, he’s showing us that if you set your mind to something—even something as wild as an Ironman before you get your diploma—you can do it. That's the Lou — we're still here and we're not leaving.
My man Keith and the crew are gonna have some thoughts on this kid's unbelievable accomplishment every morning. Catch 'em live at mornings.live.