Editor’s note: This is part of a series examining Wisconsin high school records that are unlikely to be broken. The series will publish through July.
Chris Solinsky wanted to go out with a bang.
Even as the two-time reigning WIAA Division 1 state boys cross country individual champion in 2000 and 2001, Solinsky wasn’t comfortable completing his hat trick. The 2003 Stevens Point grad called his shot to the media leading up to his final high school cross country meet: He was going to be the first runner in state history to break 15 minutes.
“There was definitely the pressure and expectation to win, but I wanted to go out doing something special that nobody had done before,” Solinsky said.
Solinsky not only lived up to his promise — he won in a time of 14 minutes, 54 seconds — he’s only one of two runners to break the 15-minute mark at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
“It’s a nice feather in your cap that, ‘Yeah, to this day, nobody’s run as fast I have,’” Solinsky said. “But you know the saying, ‘Records are meant to be broken.’”
That hasn’t been the case so far. Olin Hacker, a 2015 Madison West graduate, is the only other runner in state history to join Solinsky in the sub-15 club, winning the 2014 Division 1 state title with a time of 14:59.1. New Glarus/Monticello’s Ryan McCoy (15:28.3, 2012) and Wrightstown’s Jim Brice (15:36, 1977) hold the top times in Divisions 2 and 3, respectively.
It’s fitting given Solinsky became the fastest Division 1 runner as a junior, with his time of 15:07 to break the previous mark of 15:15 set in 1980 by Menomonee Falls North’s Tim Hacker, Olin’s father.
Breaking his own record added to the perfect ending for Solinsky, who became the fourth person in state history at the time to capture three individual championships before a historic career at the University of Wisconsin.
The entire day was perfect, according to Solinsky, who currently is an assistant cross country and track and field coach at the University of Oregon.
“I don’t remember the temperature being too cold or too hot; I remember it being dry and I don’t remember it being especially windy,” he said. “Going into it, I didn’t have in my mind that the weather was going to be a factor.”
Runner-up Dustin Fier of Hudson (15:51) finished nearly a minute behind Solinsky as only four others broke 16 minutes. As easy as Solinsky’s win was, he still holds the course in high regard.
“It’s still a true test of not just how fast you can run, but how you can manage the efforts throughout the day,” he said about The Ridges, which has hosted the state cross country championships since 1988, except for the 2020 championships, which were held at three separates sites.
It’s partly why Solinsky and current runners feel his time remains unbeaten after more than two decades.
“It’s not flat, so speed is the only thing that’s going to help you, and you need to be mentally strong,” said Onalaska senior Manny Putz, the reigning two-time Division 1 champion, about the 5,000-meter course. “The course has so many hills in the worst spots … and it just attacks you at these perfect timings, where if you’re not ready, you’re just not going to have a good day.”
Solinsky knows from experience it takes time to understand all those intricacies. Even while he thinks some “can run well with some naivete,” repeated opportunities are what pay dividends. That was the case for Solinsky, who won four Big Ten championships, five NCAA distance track and field titles and was a 14-time All-American while helping lead the Badgers to the 2005 NCAA cross country and 2007 NCAA indoor track and field team titles from 2003 to 2007
The former United States 10,000-meter record holder acknowledged a corkscrew hill midway through the race gave him repeated troubles during his first three state appearances.
“I finally figured it out my fourth year how to get up it without putting myself in a hole I had to dig myself out of,” he said. “Each individual has their own strengths and weaknesses, and learning how to run the different aspects of the course for your strengths and weaknesses is important.”
Other factors are helping current runners trying to run down Solinsky’s time. Putz, whose winning time of 15:05.8 last year ranks third behind Solinsky and Olin Hacker, said improvements in workouts, nutrition and shoes have helped times trend downward.
“They’re lighter weight, they have more cushion and I guess it matters more on track because spikes matter a bit more when we talk about getting more energy back into our feet,” Putz said. “I’m always impressed to see top times from back then because they just don’t have the things we have now to help us be even faster.”
All those advancements have had Solinsky looking over his shoulder from afar, still waiting for someone to pass him. While Solinsky described the record as being on “life support,” thanks to Putz, whom he recruited at Oregon before Putz committed last month to Wisconsin, he takes pride in the motivation his time has provided for more than two decades.
“I’m glad it can provide a carrot for the future of Wisconsin athletics that hopefully it motivates not just the guys but also the women to push themselves; to know that there’s life outside of just the state in terms of what you can accomplish, and to dream big,” he said.
Onalaska's Manny Putz runs side-by-side with Stevens Point's Aloysius Franzen (525) and De Pere's Grady Lenn heading into the final mile of the Division 1 boys race during the 2023 WIAA state cross country championships at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.