As Josh Shriver took a quick break from running up a road in Breckenridge’s Wellington neighborhood, he was fairly certain that running was not going to be his thing. 

While he enjoyed running a couple times a week with the Summit Distance Project youth running group during the COVID pandemic, he felt more inclined to explore his potential in baseball and basketball.

“I went Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and I was sore every single day that I went,” Shriver said. “I didn’t really have anything else going on, so that was kind of all I was doing. That summer really challenged me.”

Still in middle school, Shriver tried to refill every crevice of lungs with air before opening his stride and beginning his run again. Little did Shriver know that the miles he logged that summer would serve as a foundation for him to lean on as he paved his way to becoming a successful high school distance runner.

In the five years since the COVID pandemic, Shriver — with the guidance of Summit head cross-country coach Mike Hagen and assistant cross-country coach Eva Hagen — has become one of the state’s premier distance runners in the class of 2025. 

“I think I would be ignorant to say that I did not have talent early on,” Shriver said. “I do think I have worked immensely hard from day one and that is one of the reasons why I am where I am. Talent was not going to get where I am today.”

This past fall, Shriver took 10th overall at the state cross-country meet for the second-straight season, leading his team to a fifth-place finish. 

Perhaps even more impressive was Shriver’s gutsy approach to the Class 4A state 1600-meter final last spring. Instead of leaving the race to a 400-meter kick, Shriver charged to the front, took the lead and made the race honest.

Shriver was awarded for his efforts with a fifth-place finish, thus far his highest placement at the state track meet.

Although his journey has been far from easy, Shriver owns seven school records ranging from the 1600 to the 5K. Due to his accomplishments in the sport, Shriver was even inducted into the Colorado Running Hall of Fame earlier this month as a High School Achievement athlete. 

While Shriver did not initially envision himself quitting basketball and baseball to become a distance runner, his tenacious dedication to the sport has resulted in him being noticed by several schools over the past few years. 

“My dream didn’t really take focus early on,” Shriver said. “I didn’t really understand the potential I had in the sport. There is a trend among high school athletes to go D1. I never immediately bought into that. There were many moments when I believed I didn’t have what it took.”

Despite not feeling that he possessed what it takes to earn a spot on a college team, several coaches from across the region took interest in the academic and athletic accolades of the Summit senior. 

Officially starting his recruitment process at the beginning of his junior year, Shriver remembers communication stopping between him and numerous coaches. 

“In my experience the recruitment process was something that was really difficult,” Shriver said. “It has a lot of lows. I got ghosted more times than I can count. I have talked to more schools than I remember. It is hard when you have a bad stretch of races and all of a sudden this coach isn’t emailing or texting you back.”

Although discouraged and frustrated at times, Shriver continued to show up to practice, put in the work and made an effort to impress potential coaches. His hard work eventually paid off when the Air Force Academy showed a keen interest in Shriver running for the service academy. 

That interest eventually resulted in Shriver recently committing to the service academy for both academics and running. 

“I am super fortunate that Coach Cole and Coach Bowerman at the Air Force Academy have believed in me and given me grace when I have been at my lowest,” Shriver said. “They have congratulated and celebrated me when I had my bright moments. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity and the support.”

From the start of his recruitment journey, the U.S. Air Force Academy was always one of the leading schools on Shriver’s list. Not only does the Air Force Academy boast robust academic programs, but the cross-country and track program routinely churns out nationally ranked teams and athletes.  

Most recently, Summit High School class of 2023 graduate Dominykas Remeikis placed third in the mile at the Mountain West Conference Indoor meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico, making him the fastest American miler in the conference heading into outdoor track.

While Remeikis did not play a direct role in Shriver choosing the Air Force Academy as his university of choice, his former teammate did provide a sense of familiarity that can be hard to find on a team made up of athletes from all across the U.S.

“I do think it made it a little bit more welcoming for me when I went there on my visit and on unofficial visits to meet the team and coaches,” Shriver said. “I had that ice breaker element of knowing Dom. It wasn’t like I was a total stranger to the program.”

Unlike other universities, Shriver went through a lengthy and arduous application process in order to be accepted into the Air Force Academy. Composed of three pillars including athletics, academics and leadership, Shriver had to prove he was fit in each category in order to be accepted into the service academy.

On top of trying to exhibit that he had the characteristics the admissions department was looking for, Shriver also had to attain a Congressional nomination from a zone district representative or a state senator. In the case of Shriver’s admission process, he received a nomination from Congressman Joe Neguse. 

Although Shriver has had many ups and downs over his four years at Summit, he now recognizes those struggles as paramount to fortifying him into the runner he is today. 

In fact, one of Shriver’s favorite memories from the last few years is when he was able to overcome a series of setbacks his sophomore season and qualify to first state track and field meet. 

“My sophomore track season was largely inhibited by a medication I was on at the time,” Shriver said “… Making the state meet was really clear and definitive proof that I could make the best of my situation. To this day, I am still proud of how I fought through that season. It’s something I look back on for strength.”

Feeling like running has taught him the majority of his life values, Shriver encourages other young and aspiring runners to remember that good days are always near even if they may seem miles away.

“It is going to rain, and when it rains it is going to pour,” Shriver said. “Eventually though, it is going to be sunny and you are going to have your day. … When things aren’t going your way, and you continue to work hard, is when you truly find out who you are.”

Shriver will attend the Air Force Academy upon graduating Summit High School later this spring. As of now, Shriver would like to pursue a degree in the engineering field.