Former Montezuma-Cortez track standout Justice Ramos wrapped up his freshman season with the University of Colorado track team last weekend.
Ramos, the son of Joe and Jennie Ramos, qualified for the Pac-12 Championships in Seattle, Washington after running the 800-meter dash in 1:52.18 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California.
At the conference meet, Ramos ran a career best 1:51.23 in the 800 to finish in 11th place and cap off his freshman campaign.
The 2015 M-CHS graduate placed fourth (1:55.74) in the 800 in the Colorado Class 4A State Championships his senior season before moving on to Boulder, where he has consistently improved.
Ramos trained with the cross-country team this fall to prepare for the winter and spring track seasons, and he immediately noticed the difference between high school track and division one track.
“The biggest difference is all the miles they do here,” he explained. “We do like three miles to warm up and then three miles to cool down after a track workout. And on the easy days I do like six or seven miles.”
He also spoke of the academic commitment required, and although he is currently undeclared, he plans to switch to architecture.
“It takes a lot of my time,” he said. “They have tutors that they offer though, and mandatory study hours, so it’s not too hard to keep up with everything. You just have to be careful.”
When he’s not training or studying, Ramos said he enjoys going out to eat with fellow freshmen, hiking and taking camping trips with friends.
In his first season, Ramos ran in two indoor meets in January – including a first-place finish in the Potts Indoor Invitational – and then competed in six meets this spring.
When asked about the highlight of his freshman year at Colorado, Ramos mentions the team’s trip to Azusa and the Bryan Clay Invitational.
But not the track meet – where he ran a 1:52.18 and finished in second place.
Instead, Ramos laughs and explains how the team was stuck in southern California for nearly a week due to a snowstorm in Denver.
“We got stuck and we ended up getting to go to the beach twice and we tried to surf and we went and ran,” he explained. “It was pretty cool.”