Senior Matthew Gray began his running journey during his freshman year, joining the cross country team following Fremont’s 2022 Watermelon Run. Initially planning to play baseball at FHS, Gray was excited by his performance at the run and decided to pursue distance running. He has competed for four years on the FHS cross country and track and field teams, and has now committed to run Division One at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA. Gray has also competed as an All-American in Georgia during the summer of 2025.
Gray’s journey, however, has not been without obstacles. During his sophomore year, he began to struggle with his breathing while running, often becoming tired quickly. He learned that he was dealing with exercise-induced asthma and was forced to begin consistently relying on an inhaler before running. Though he was previously able to go without the inhaler for easier runs in the past, he now permanently has to use it even for short distances.
His work and commitment to running have extended far beyond the cross country and track and field seasons, though. Gray described the effort he continued to put in during the offseason to improve.
“My junior year in the winter, specifically, I would have to get up at 5 a.m. every single day, take my inhaler, wait for half an hour for [the inhaler] to kick in, and bike over to my local gym in the freezing cold,” Gray said. “[It was about] 40 degrees. I was suffering. I had to go into the gym, do my workouts on the treadmill by myself for 45 minutes, just me on the treadmill with no air conditioning whatsoever.”
Gray’s drive and passion have led to major accomplishments and milestones. During the CCS preliminary races on May 16, 2026, he broke the official Fremont High School record in the 1600m (about one mile), with a time of 4:19.08, qualifying for CCS finals. As of the publication of this article, he will have competed at finals against the premier competition from across the Central Coast Section on May 23, with a chance to advance to the California state championships. Gray provided a glimpse at his own aspirations and a prediction as to where he sees himself in the coming years at the Division One level.
“I’d say you guys are seeing a sub-four [minute] mile my sophomore year of college, hopefully at the NCAA meets,” Gray said.
Beyond his achievements on the track, Gray has lent his running expertise to many, from peers at Fremont to those looking to join the community. He has recently started to train people ranging from ages five to 16 in distance running, curating personal training schedules and workouts for younger athletes. FHS Freshman Tiberius Lee, who was a teammate of Gray’s in both sports, described the impact that Gray has had as a mentor and leader on the teams.
“He has really inspired me to get better, and to want more, to not be satisfied,” Lee said. “Even if you are the best, you should still try to be better, and just keep constantly improving yourself.”
Having played baseball with a serious amount of dedication for many years before high school, Gray’s transition to running was somewhat unlikely. However, he reflects on this fondly and notes the ways in which he finds his new sport to be a better opportunity to complete and perform at the highest level.
“I’m glad I made that choice, because it’s actually something I was willing to put all of my effort into,” Gray said. “And if you’re not willing to put all of your effort into something and you don’t love it, then that just shouldn’t be what you’re doing.”
