Charlie Vause fell in love with running on his first 5K run in 7th grade.
“I thought I was on top of the world,” he said.
Charlie Vause‘s dad, Dan Vause, encouraged him and his older brother to start running. But what started with his dad telling him, “You’ve got to do something,” has turned into a passion that has put Charlie Vause in the national spotlight.
Six years later, Vause was named the 2024-2025 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year, an award previously held by fellow Latter-day Saint Daniel Simmons.
Family, teammates and Olympic runner Grant Fisher surprised Vause with the award in February.
“When I was coming up the stairs, I kind of stumbled backwards, and my coach had to catch me because I couldn’t believe what was happening,” Vause said.
Vause also became the Nike Cross Nationals champion with a victory over some of the nation’s best high school cross-country athletes in December 2024. Running across a muddy golf course in Portland, Oregon, Vause came from behind and broke the tape 2 seconds ahead of the next closest runner, with a time of 15 minutes, 28.1 seconds.
Vause has committed to run at Brigham Young University, but he’ll first serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Chile Puerto Montt Mission.
“I’d say my faith in Jesus Christ is my rock in everything I do,” Vause said. “It’s through Him that I can do what I do.”
Vause talks often about his faith, despite being one of just a handful of Latter-day Saints on his cross-country and track teams at Rio Rancho High School in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The team has a really respectful culture, according to Vause.
“I talk religion with all my friends all the time,” he said. “It’s nothing I’m ever embarrassed or ashamed to bring up. And oftentimes they’ll have questions for me. But it’s never awkward to say the name ‘Jesus Christ’ just mid-conversation.”
Faith in Jesus Christ is something that has also come up in multiple news interviews, according to Dan Vause. He said his son isn’t afraid to talk about how he sees the Lord as playing a huge role in his journey.
“Charlie’s been having some success in the sport for a while, but … before anybody really knew who he was, the gospel of Jesus Christ was a big part of his life,” Dan Vause said. “That is his priority. And he wants to take running as far as he can, but however that goes, being a disciple of Christ is what really counts with him.”
Kim Vause, Charlie Vause‘s mom, said it is really gratifying as a parent to see her son receive recognition for his athletic achievements. But she is also proud of how he has remained humble.
As an example, she said her son volunteered at the elementary school where she teaches 3rd grade. He spoke during an assembly about perseverance and told the students, “I’m just this kid who loves running, and nobody thought I could win this race, and I did. And you guys can do this too.”
Said Kim Vause: “And it really was amazing to see him give back and to just love and serve.”
“Charlie has chosen to put Christ first in all that he does,” she said. “That’s a choice that each of us as disciples of Christ get to make every day.”
Even with his recent success, Vause said running can be a heartbreaking sport.
“In running, you either beat somebody or you don’t. There’s no arguing,” he said.
Because of that, Vause said he relies on his faith in Jesus Christ to continue to find joy. In order to get himself “hyped and in game mode” for a race, he will listen to the 2023 youth theme album, especially the song “I Can Do All Things Through Christ.”
“I’ve got some songs that are way upbeat that I listen to, but I always make sure before my races that I listen to ‘I Can Do All Things Through Christ,’ because that song is so empowering,” Vause said.
Keeping that focus on Jesus Christ provides a lot of guidance and perspective, especially as Vause prepares for a mission.
“Just don’t forget what the Lord has done for you and what He will do for you if you serve a mission,” he said. “If you are wondering whether or not you should serve a mission, obviously pray about it, but I don’t think you could ever regret it.”
