A. Ray Barrus

Albert Ray Barrus grew up in the small town of Grantsville, Utah, in Tooele County. Even as a young man, his gift for running was unmistakable. After graduating from Grantsville High School in 1961, he earned a track scholarship to Brigham Young University, where he would become one of the program's greatest distance runners.

At BYU, Ray ran the one-mile, two-mile, and ultimately the 3,000-meter steeplechase — the event that would define his career. In 1965, he finished second at the NCAA Championships and was named an All-American and team captain. The following year, at the 1966 AAU National Championships, he again placed second in the steeplechase with a time of 8:42 — a mark faster than the existing American record, though the winner broke it as well. His BYU coach believed Ray could have dominated the steeplechase for years had there been a better support system for amateur athletes in that era.

Ray's work ethic was legendary. After long summer days working construction with his father, he would ask to be dropped off on the side of the road and run the remaining five miles home in his work clothes. After a nap and a meal, he'd head out for another run. Returning from European track tours, he'd have his brother pick him up at the Salt Lake airport — then inevitably hop out of the car somewhere along the way and run the remaining 20-plus miles back to Grantsville.

An injury derailed his Olympic dreams, and with a wife and growing family to support, Ray transitioned to coaching and teaching. His final competitive race was the inaugural Deseret News Marathon in July 1970, which he won in 2 hours, 49 minutes, and 47 seconds — running the entire 26.2 miles without a single sip of water. Suffering from blisters and dehydration, he walked much of the last six miles but still crossed the finish line first. It remains one of the most remarkable performances in Utah running history.

Ray went on to coach track and field at the College of Eastern Utah for 14 years, followed by stints at Skyline, Cyprus, Grantsville, Tooele, and Springville High Schools. He touched countless young athletes' lives through his dedication to the sport he loved.

In 1986, at just 42 years old, Ray was diagnosed with stomach cancer and given a 5% chance of surviving two months. With the same determination and pain threshold that made him a champion runner, he defied every prediction. He beat the stomach cancer. When it returned in his lungs, he beat it again. It ultimately spread to his liver and kidney.

Through 8½ years of battling cancer, Ray never complained and never quit — just as he'd never quit a race. He was known for his grace, humor, gentleness, and quiet strength. Four days before he passed, he took his kids and grandchildren to the circus. On the last night of his life, sitting up because the cancer wouldn't let him lie down, he was still making plans for the future.

Ray passed away on October 6, 1994, surrounded by family at his parents' home in Grantsville. He was 51 years old and father to seven children.

"Ray has just completed the greatest marathon of his life," his cousin Russell Lawrence said at the funeral. His son Jeff remembers his father running through the fields of Grantsville — "There is no destination; he just runs."