The “legendary” Gratt Reed is well-known throughout Atlantic High School for his kind manner and his booming personality. Reed is involved in choir, show choir, football, baseball, NHS and his primary sport, track. He is recognized as one of the fastest athletes in the school and also translates his speed and power through the hurdles. His speed has gained him the nickname “G-Speed,” and he has competed in track since he was 7 years old, excelling from there. Although Reed has always had the speed, hurdles weren’t his first choice on the track until eighth grade when his coach wanted him to try hurdles at practice. At his first meet, Reed shockingly broke the middle school record.

Hurdles coach Jordan Mullen has had a major impact on Reed’s life. “He has shown me how to truly work for what I want and has shown me what it takes to succeed,” Reed said. Reed spends most of his free time on the track hurdling and in the weight room with Coach Mullen working to get better. All of the work he has put into hurdling paid off during his junior year at the Drake Relays when he ran his personal best time in the 110m hurdles of 14.42 seconds.

Reed’s future plans include attending the University of Iowa to continue his track career and major in education. He loves being in school and said he can see “teaching being something I could do every day happily for the rest of my life.”

One of the biggest moments in Reed’s life was being offered to run track at the University of Iowa. “The first thing that popped into my mind was practicing with the team and getting better with them. This has fueled me to work harder in practices so I can be the best I can be when I get there,” Reed said. Choosing Iowa was an easy decision for him because they have an “outstanding” track program and education system.