Chris Rae (2020)

A sound mind in a sound body is the English translation of a famous quotation by the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Thales (Miletus, 624-546 BC). It is an often used reference in our modern society for one who has achieved high levels of success both athletically and academically. If one was to recognize a prime example of this current definition, one might point to Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall Of Fame inductee Chris Rae. Beyond Chris’s outstanding athletic credentials, Chris was recognized by the Bergen County YMCAs as one of its top student athletes in 1987. Chris was not only setting records on the tracks around the state, but also showed great academic performance ranked 6th in his class of 445 students at the highly regarded Ridgewood High School. Chris was a National Merit Scholar who went on to attend Stanford University 1987-1992. He earned both Bachelors and Master of Arts degrees in philosophy at Stanford while competing as a track team member that he helped Captain in 1992. Working in the business world for a number of years Chris returned to school 1997-2001 at Duke University where he completed an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business while also completing his Juris Doctorate (JD) from the Duke University Law School. Athletically Chris was a force on the county, state and national level while a student athlete at RHS. Besides being named to numerous NNJIL All League Teams for both winter and spring track seasons, Chris was named to the All Bergen County First Team three times for both winter and spring track for the 800 and 1600. In 1986 Chris won the West Point 800 meter indoor title and the next week won the NJ state Group IV championship. It was only the second time an RHS runner had won an individual Group IV championship. He also set the meet record of 2:20.5 at the NJ Spiked Shoe meet. Chris suffered a stress fracture that impacted his spring season in 1986, but he came back with a vengeance in 1987. Chris won the 1987 NJ indoor Group IV 800 championship. During the spring season he ran a state best time of 1:51.6 in the 800 meter setting a school record that would stand for thirteen years. Chris won the NJ State Meet of Champion’s title race in a time of 1:52.0. In addition Chris ran a 1200 meter leg of the distance medley at the Penn Relays helping RHS to a coveted fourth place finish. He won the Eastern States mile in a time of 4:13.6. Chris ran in the Golden State meet in Sacramento, California competing in the 800 meter. The Newark Star Ledger named Chris to their First Team All Groups All State Team for the spring of 1987 for the 800 meter. At Stanford and running distances during his four year track career for the Cardinals, Chris earned a fifth place in the 1991 Pac Ten Championships in the 1500 meter with a time of 3:46. Today Chris is a successful businessman in Park City, Utah and can also claim membership to the Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall of Fame.