FORT DODGE — This one was for mom.

South Winneshiek sophomore Hugh Conway had plenty of motivation heading into the Class 1A boys race at the 2025 Iowa high school cross country championships on Nov. 1.

Conway's mother, Gretchen Conway, has been battling pancreatic cancer. Conway was determined to give his mom a reason to smile at the state cross country meet.

He moved to the head of the field of the race with a mile to go and kept getting stronger as he neared the finish line. Conway sprinted through the line in a winning time of 15 minutes, 50.7 seconds, and he kept on running out into the crowd to greet his supporters, coaches, teammates and family.

"It was really my mom," Conway said. "I know that she's going through a lot of pain. I just thought of my pain, and I know it pales in

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