Dailey steps: Orderly priorities, steady faith have West Laurens runner on pace for strong finish to record XC season

In the opinion of Levi Dailey, there’s no arguing the fact that running is the “most mentally challenging” sport there is. 

Swimming – a similarly ruthless test of one’s physical and mental limits – would be the only other athletic discipline that comes anywhere close to matching its degree of difficulty, and also sense of appeal to the Raider cross country and track standout, who has a certain inclination toward embracing hard things. 

“There’s no breaks, you’re nonstop going,” he said. “It’s tough on your body and your mind. It takes incredible discipline, and it’s something that a lot of people can’t do, so it’s a blessing to have the ability to do it.” 

That continuous competition with himself, and human nature, is one Dailey has dedicated a lot of time and effort to coming up through middle and high school. And it’s been paying off over the course of a record-breaking senior season that has him, and the Raider cross country team as a whole, on pace for some potentially big things as they close in on region and state meets coming up. 

Dailey, who wrapped his junior season as a sixth-place region finisher and came in 18th overall at state, has paced the West Laurens boys since his sophomore year, but taken things to another level to start this final go-round with some eye-popping times at multiple events. 

Of note through roughly two-thirds of the season are results that surpassed (and then twice reset) the school’s high bar in 2-mile races, and another to notch a longstanding 5K mark. Both achievements, to go along with any postseason accolades to come, have him poised to finish his career as one of the most accomplished runners in school history. 

Just three races remain on the Raiders’ schedule before the GHSA state championships in Carrollton Nov. 8. The region 4-AAA meet is next up on Thursday at Harlem. Two days later, Oct. 25, the Raiders will run a warmup race at the site of the AAA sectional, hosted by Long County High School in Ludowici, the following Saturday, Nov. 1 

As those pivotal events draw nearer, there’s a growing sense that Dailey, along with many of his teammates, is reaching top form and turning the proverbial corner at just the right time. 

“That’s kind of the way you like to draw it up,” said West Laurens head coach Danny Johnson. “Kids, through experience and training, continuing to get better. It’s enjoyable to see him having success in his senior year, particularly when not everybody sticks it out for the four years.” 

Though it’s fulfilled some long-held personal goals, Dailey gives the recent success secondary importance to his purpose in running: to set a Christlike example for teammates and opponents. 

The ever-humble competitor remains constantly aware of the cloud of witnesses observing both his literal races, and the figurative ones along other everyday paths. 

“It honestly gives me a feeling that I impacted someone’s life,” he said. “In the long run, it’s gonna be more of, (when) people look back, what kind of person was he and how did he live that out? I think I definitely have a platform with where I’m at, people are looking. That keeps me in check, it keeps me humble.” 

The early portion of this season, whose schedule was dominated by shorter-length races, offered some preliminary indicators of what the fall might have the makings of for Dailey, who clocked a lightning-quick time of 10:59 in Cochran at Bleckley County’s “Clash of the Classes,” meet No. 2 on the itinerary, that broke the school’s existing 2-mile record by a second. 

He’d go on to trim another second off that time a week or two down the road, in a home meet at the new West Laurens Middle School. 

Toward the very end of September, the Raiders competed in a midweek event back at Bleckley, this time a night race over a modified two-mile stretch of the Runnin’ Royals’ home course that was extra slick. 

Dailey, staying with the field’s brisk pace, shattered his own record once again, running a 10:41, to finish ninth. 

“It was a very fast race,” Johnson said. 

As the season continued, that trend would carry over into full-scale events as the team began to turn its focus toward ramping up endurance for the postseason. 

And in 5Ks, only three boys runners in the program’s history before this year had ever run a time of under 17 minutes. 

Previous members of that “16-minute club” were all-time Raider cross country greats Benjamin Woodard, Tyler Fountain and record-holder Paul Kellam. 

As fortune would have it, both Dailey and teammate Ronan Pangie – a homeschooled sophomore who joined the squad this season – would become a fourth and fifth to break that barrier this year. 

Pangie did so with a time of 16:45, finishing about a minute ahead of Dailey, at Jeff Davis High School in the team’s first meet of the year. And he’d do it again Sept. 26 in Guyton during a race that served as Dailey’s biggest breakout so far. 

“5K at the Farm,” an event hosted by South Effingham High School, is an annual favorite of runners who generally post their fastest times of the season on its uniform terrain. 

Dailey, in keeping with the trend, finished only three seconds back of the winner with a blazing 16:17 that broke Kellam’s school record by about two and a half seconds. 

“He just blew it out of the water,” Johnson said. 

Pangie was not far behind, at 16:38. 

“(That was the) first time I’ve ever had two individuals run in the 16s in the same race,” Johnson said.   

Earlier in the month, the team also traveled to run Carrollton High School’s trail – which hosts the state championship later each year– at the OrthoWest Invitational, where Dailey’s time of 17:04 was not only a personal best, but also the fastest ever run by a West Laurens athlete at the site, known for its challenging climbs. 

“That is a very tough course, and Levi, he really performs well there, and has certainly in the past,” Johnson said. “We also have (a list of) top 25 times at the state meet. I couldn’t put Levi’s time down, because it was not at the state meet, but it was the state meet course. They never change the makeup of it.” 

Dailey, who feels one of his strengths as a runner is managing those types of changes in elevation that are unfriendly to those who spend more time running faster, flatter tracks. 

“It’s a very hilly course, very challenging for a lot of people that, say, run South Georgia, where it’s real flat. They come up there and they’re not used to the hills,” Dailey said. “I’ve run it multiple times, and I’ve gotten used to it. Most people tend to be close to a minute slower than their average time, and I think I’ve PR’d just about every time I’ve run there except one time when I was sick.” 

It could be a great omen for what’s to come next month, when he’s a shoo-in to return for one more shot in the big race. 

“He did run the fastest time ever for West Laurens cross country on that course, with that time,” Johnson said. “And hopefully, in about a month’s time, he can try to better that, as long as he can continue to stay healthy and continue to progress.” 

Dailey’s individual strides have come in the midst of a fairly strong season for for the Raiders’ teams as a whole. 

On the boys side, for sure, the Raiders are as strong overall as they’ve been in quite a while, with Dailey and Pangie (respectively first and second with sub-17 minute times in their latest weekend race at Athens Academy last Saturday). Dalton Oxford, Fisher Smith, Paul Moye, Bennett Smith and Nathan Larson have also been among their top athletes. 

“I think we’ve had five or six meets, and we’ve finished top 3 as a team in four of those five, or five of those six,” Dailey said, speaking a few weeks back. “We’ve been blessed with a great season so far from a team standpoint. Our most previous meet, I think we had all but two of our guys team (members) PR, and we won that meet, and our girls finished fourth, and they I think their whole team PR’d.” 

“It’s just a blessing that we’ve had no injuries,” he added. “We’ve been blessed with those who were willing to put in the work.” 

The addition of Pangie, who runs a similar pace to Dailey near the front of the pack, has helped set a higher bar in meets and practices over the course of the fall. 

“Competition within the team is good,” Johnson said. “Maybe that gave Levi something to work towards as well.” 

Dailey, for one, is convinced that the constant head-to-head, as much as the mutual support they share during races, has helped bring out his best. 

“We’ve been back and forth, back and forth,” Dailey said. “He definitely helped me run my time from my last meet that I got the record on. He was very encouraging. He was there, like, we’ve gotta keep it going, we’re going to hold here, sit on them and then push on the second mile. He’s very good, a smart runner.” 

“Running isn’t all about one person,” he added. “You can definitely tell a difference when you’ve got good teammates.” 

A lot of work’s gone into making this the banner season it’s become. But Dailey will be the first to admit his success running is a carry-over from walking daily with the Lord. 

“None of it would’ve been possible without him,” Dailey said. 

He’s grateful for the role played by folks in his corner – family, high school coaches Johnson and Carlos Jones and CrossFit DGA trainer Mitchell Clegg – as well as the favor of having avoided any significant injuries. 

“I’ve been blessed to be healthy for most of my running career from seventh grade through now,” he said. “It’s something Coach Johnson has always said. The best kind of ability is availability. He tells that to everyone, and that’s really true. It doesn’t matter how good you are if you’re not there for the team.” 

Throughout his years of competitive running, Dailey has made a point of keeping things in the proper perspective, so not to move too fast, too quickly. 

A running career, much like a race, is about pacing yourself. 

“Something I’ve focused on, too, is to not push myself too much, because I’ve heard of a lot of guys who ran fast early on, then they pushed themselves too hard and stalled out, and ruined the last little bit of their career,” he said. 

Is running, in and of itself, a labor of love?

His answer, “not necessarily,” might come as a little of a surprise. 

Though he’s attracted to the challenge and companionship with others that are associated with it, the activity on its own is simply a means to other ends of personal fulfillment. 

“I enjoy the competition, and just the success from it,” Dailey said. “I genuinely don’t enjoy running, especially by myself… Running with others is very good. But I don’t tend to enjoy it a whole lot besides the race. And just the environment, I think the running community is a very good community, very strong, really friendly. There are a lot of nice people.” 

A second half of each school year is dedicated to track and field, and training for the long-distance events (1600 and 3200-meters, 4×800 relay and occasionally the 800 when needed) that are his wheelhouse in the springtime.  

His cross-country driven training begins each summer shortly after that season wraps up. 

And for those who want to be great, simply attending team workouts is only a minimum. 

Dailey follows his own outside training program, and dedicates a great deal of extra time, mornings, nights and weekends to the extra miles needed to maximize his ability. 

“You have to do your own work,” he said. “You can tell who put in the work and who didn’t. You can’t fake it. You can’t get lucky with it. Either you trained, or you didn’t.” 

In-season, success and longevity also owes to some oft-overlooked little things that are easy to skip over, but make a major difference in the seconds that separate the elite from the rest. 

He devotes extra attention to recovery activities like stretching, cool-downs and often epsom salt baths after taxing runs, and places extra emphasis on hydration and nutrition, as poor habits when it comes to both, down the stretch of a race, will be quick to give away those who’ve cut corners in their preparation. 

“There’s a lot of discipline that goes into it, and sometimes it’s not very fun, but in the long run it makes a difference,” Dailey said. 

Johnson believes that Dailey’s dedication, organization and attention to detail are traits that rubbed off from a “big brother” of sorts. 

That mentor, Tucker Brown, was the team’s top runner Dailey’s freshman season, and upon graduating in 2022, handed off the baton in that leadership role along with the many running and life lessons that were shared over their single season as teammates. 

“(He) really got me through that and was there for me,” Dailey said. “Just knowing what that feels like, I try to be that, because I know what it’s like to be down on yourself, but to have that person to look up to.” 

Over the past three years, he’s taken up the same mantle of leading by example, with a disciplined approach to the sport, and every other area of life. 

“He’s just a great example for the underclassmen,” Johnson said. “I think what sums it best… A coach is in good shape when his most talented individuals are the hardest workers.” 

Dailey, who leads regular devotionals for the team and school FCA huddles, holds a similar value for the sports he’s a part of as a platform for sharing his faith.  

“My background as a Christian has been to obviously lead others to Christ, but to lead by example in my everyday life, and other aspects,” he said.  

What’s next? 

After he graduates next year, Dailey is hopeful for an opportunity to continue running at the next level, perhaps at Georgia College, where there have been some conversations about a potential opportunity to become a part of the Bobcats’ successful Peach Belt program. 

Education-wise, he’s currently torn between optometry and electrical engineering as potential paths of study. Though the school would be a stepping-stone toward larger destinations for a degree leading into either potential profession, Dailey said he likes what the Milledgeville-based campus has to offer. 

“I think that’s somewhere that I’d like to go,” he said. “It’s not too far… I think that’s a great environment and atmosphere.” 

For the moment, West Laurens is reaching an exciting peak of its season, starting with next week’s region meet at Harlem. 

“I think we’ve got a good shot,” Dailey said. “There are a few teams that’ll be down there close to us. Aquinas, they have a few guys that are really good. But I think we might have a little more depth.” 

The challenge that lies beyond that at state – in a field of the state’s top AAA runners – is one he’s been preparing for and thinking about a lot. 

And he’s aiming to continue the long-running trend of progress on the course, ideally making a move into the top 10 overall. 

“And I think I’ve got a good shot,” Dailey said.”I’d like to be under 17 minutes, which would be great for me, but if I can go further than that, that would be amazing.”