Justyn Knight didn’t check his phone.

He woke up late Monday, rushed to Manley Field House, ran at practice and took an ice bath.

Knight finally checked his Twitter while walking out of Manley, across the green turf of the football field.

“All I could think was, ‘Wow,’” Knight said. “This was actually real.”

The notifications button had a blue bubble with “20+” on it. It ended up being more like 200-plus. Bleacher Report, SB Nation and ESPN tweets poured in. Friends texted, freaking out about how awesome this all was.

When you realize you just lost your shoe during a championship race pic.twitter.com/xdEUC5o9ol

— justyn knight (@justyn_knight) May 17, 2015

Knight had won the Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships 1500-meter race Saturday. And he did it running without a shoe. He beat the runner-up by .06 seconds, running a 3:47.85 en route to the gold.

“I knew I didn’t want to come in second without a shoe,” he said in a post-race interview. “I had to come in first.”

Knight had just finished the first lap of the three and three-quarters lap race when it happened. Heading into the first turn of the second lap, a runner stepped on his shoe and it came off, but just a little. The shoe had spikes on them, making them crucial to success on the track. Knight couldn’t ditch the kicks, so he kept running.

“I’m not going to lie, I was worried,” Knight said. “My first ACC Championship and there were a lot of eyes on me from past performances, but I realized I don’t have enough time to think about what’s wrong and what’s happening.”

Knight said he figured coming in that the ACCs would be a tactical race, meaning runners wouldn’t be going for personal records. They’d sit back and kick at the end, or run a steady pace out front from the beginning. Knight thought the race was getting too slow, so he seized the lead heading into that turn, which is when his shoe was stepped on.

He ran nearly one-and-a-half laps with the uncomfortable shoes, landing on the heel with the middle of his foot with each stride. With about 500 meters to go, he decided the spike’s grip wasn’t worth it.

“I just couldn’t do it anymore,” he said. “I knew I wouldn’t win it with a shoe half-on, half-off.”

He over-extended his right foot and flicked off his shoe. His left leg felt faster than his right, but he pushed forward and held off the Virginia Tech challenger, Neil Gourley.

After the race, the runner who stepped on Knight’s shoe came over and apologized. Knight’s not sure of his name, but knows the two laughed about it.

This isn’t the first instance Knight’s had issues with his shoes while running. No one knew he was a runner until 10th-grade gym class. At Knight’s first competitive meet, he wore basketball shoes to run.

“I do have shoe problems,” Knight said, laughing. “I guess I just pick the wrong ones.”

This wasn’t his most satisfying win, he said, but that it presented an incredible learning experience. He built a lot of self-confidence because, even when things go wrong, he knows he can pull it together and go get it.

Knight will run again in the NCAA East Preliminary in Jacksonville, Florida, which starts May 28.

“I hope I can keep both shoes on,” Knight said, laughing. “I just hope nothing interesting happens.”

Published on May 19, 2015 at 1:08 am

Contact Sam: sjfortie@syr.edu | @Sam4TR