Metro long distance runner Rick Bogatay never could have imagined how far getting in shape would eventually take him.

“I started running cross country to get in shape for soccer and figured out that I kind of liked running,” Bogatay said.

Bogatay was recruited out of Spokane Falls Community College by Former Head Coach Pete Julian. Bogatay was an NJCAA All-American, conference champion in the 1500-meter run, placed fourth in the nation as a freshman and second as a sophomore.

Bogatay and Pete Julian switched states after Julian took a new assistant coaching job at Washington State University, which is only five hours away from Bogatay’s hometown of Puyallup, Washington.

“I really like Denver, I knew that training at altitude was the next step up,” Bogatay said. “I figure, give this running thing a shot and see where I can take it.”

So far it has brought him over 1,300 miles to Denver and all over the country competing in indoor and outdoor 2k and 5k events, while competing at a nationally ranked level.

Bogatay grew up competing at home with two older brothers. He had to prove himself day in and day out. All three kids played sports growing up, including roller speed skating, but only Bogatay was competitive enough to contend at the collegiate level.

Bogatay, 23, will be attempting to become the first Metro runner to run a sub four-minute mile.

Outside of athletics, Bogatay refuses to stray far as a human performance and sports major.

He would also like to share his love and knowledge of running to younger generations through coaching and even becoming a high school gym teacher.

Pushing his body to the limit is what keeps him in love with running.

“I started out running 50 miles a week, now I’m running 90 to 100 miles a week,” Bogatay said. “It’s about how fast I can get, how crazy I can get with training.”

Bogatay has taken on a leadership role since becoming a senior, but maintains his sense of humor no matter what role he falls into.

“He always keeps an even keel on the team,” Head Coach John Supsic said. “He jokes around a lot, but when it comes time to bust his butt he sets a good example for everyone else. He has a great shot at winning Nationals at indoor in the mile.”

After college, Bogatay wishes to try his hand at some post-collegiate cross country runs while still practicing with the team during his last year at Metro.

“It will be weird this summer not having anything to train for, but just running for the sake of running,” Bogatay said. “Maybe try a marathon.”

As long as Bogatay has maybe in front of him, he will compete until his body is done with the sport.