Graham Blanks turned 21 last year, but weirdly enough, when you search for his age, it shows up as 29. Last year, one of Graham’s well-wishers posted a birthday message on the Lets Run forum.
The post was made on April 24, with the user writing, “Join me in wishing Graham a happy birthday! Happy birthday, Graham!”
The Athens native, Graham, grew up playing soccer. He was a letterwinner in soccer, track and field, and cross country at Athens Academy, the small private high school in Georgia, where he graduated in 2020.
At Athens, during his junior and senior years, Graham captained the track and field and the cross country team. The only runner in his family, the youngster credits his mother for persuading him to participate in various competitions.
In an interview, Graham said he was 13 when he started doing 5k races. His mother also started him on annual turkey trots early in his life.
One of the other reasons Graham started running was to help his endurance on the soccer pitch. That is when his coaches at school, Geoffery Walton and Neville Anderson, thought they had something serious on their hands.
Walton described Blanks’ running as effortless, and he knew Graham was a good runner but never thought he would reach this level.
In 2019, Graham was crowned the Georgia Gatorade Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year and also won the GATFXCCA Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year title.
