Start to finish.

Kyler Lewis heard those words and cherished them each time he stepped on the track.

And in his final season on Fountain-Fort Carson’s track and field team, that mentality earned him titles in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles.

But the senior’s journey to a pair of state hurdle titles began with a stint on junior varsity as a junior.

Which lasted just one meet.

“I showed up to the school and they saw my times but wanted to see what I could do,” Lewis said. “They put me in one JV race and that was the 110 hurdles. I came out and showed them what I could do and I think I ran a 15.2 that day. From there on I moved up to varsity.”

In his first varsity meet, Lewis placed second in the 300 hurdles at 42.18 seconds. Lewis didn’t race in the 110 hurdles until April 2023 where he finished second at the Thunder-Storm Invitational.

Lewis placed top five in all but two races as a junior and swept the hurdles at the Pueblo Twilight in May 2023.

In Lewis’ first trip to Lakewood last season, he placed fifth in the 110 and third in the 300 hurdles.

“That was huge for me and I made a vow to myself after state that year,” Lewis said. “I told myself that if I got fifth at state, I could make the jump to first place in hurdles.”

Nathan Bohlken, Fountain-Fort Carson’s hurdles coach, knew the goal was attainable and would aided by the graduation of several 5A hurdles contenders.

“We came up with a plan that he’d start his season early and do our preseason program we do at the high school,” Bohlken said. “We told him that if he did the program with us that he’d be unstoppable in his first meet. … When knew that if he took part in this that when the first race came, he’d pick up where he left off.”

Bohlken’s words served as a spoiler, not a prediction. Lewis dominated the hurdles all season.

Before state, Lewis competed in the 110 and 300 hurdles 16 times. He swept the 110 and won the 300 all but once.

At state, though, rough starts in both races jeopardized his shot at titles.

“The main problem for the 110 was that wasn’t the fastest time I’ve ever ran,” Lewis said. “I kept hitting hurdles and I was nervous about running at state. My coach and I noticed that the first half of my 110 is always a struggle. But those last five hurdles are where I kick in. … So I started telling myself that I was going to close the gap.”

So did Bohlken.

As he watched the race from the stands, Bohlken kept telling Lewis to close the gap and focus on the finish.

“With Ky’s tenacity, he never quits,” Bohlken said. “He kept going and just like we would in practice, Kyler knew not to stop until the end.”

Lewis cleared the remaining hurdles but still didn’t have the lead. Lewis leaned at the finish line and Bohlken beamed with joy.

“You never finish the race until after you pass the finish line,” Bohlken said. “You wish every kid was as focused as Ky. He never gave up in the middle of the race and he went all out. That effort and the lean at the finish are a coach’s dream.”

Rangeview’s Jaheim Alexander, who finished second in the 110 hurdles at state in 2023, celebrated as he crossed the line while Lewis’ lean gave him a time of 14.355 to Alexander’s 14.358.

“I was proud of myself to finish a race and give everything I had,” Lewis said. “I went undefeated in the 110s prior to that race and I wanted to pop out and show people what I could do and I did.”

Lewis parlayed that success to the 300 hurdles despite, “feeling like I could have gone harder in the prelims.”

In those state prelims, Lewis set a personal-best time of 38.66.

As he warmed up on the track for the 300 hurdle finals, Lewis tripped over his feet, tumbled to the ground and scraped his arm.

In front of thousands at Jefferson County Stadium? That fueled Lewis.

“Man, the whole stadium saw it. I was upset,” Lewis said. “After that, I wanted to drive hard, use that anger and get after it. I full sprinted the whole thing and set a big-time PR.”

Lewis scorched the field and set a new school record by four-tenths of a second at 37.41 to capture first.

“You set up a plan for Ky and he’ll execute it to the ‘T,’” Bohlken said. “You could see the determination on his face and that’s why he’s a two-time champ now.”