EDITOR'S NOTE: We are closing the book on 2023 by taking a look back at some of our favorite pictures of 2023 and telling the story behind each one.
Dec. 22 - THE YEAR IN PICTURES!- No. 10 - Bend, But Don't Break!
"The picture shows the pain."
That's what former Zachary distance runner Rhen Langley said when he saw a picture of his finish at last year's LSU High School Classic.
In his next meet, MileSplit LA photographer Tayler Tabb caught a painful picture of him lying on the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse track after the 3200m at the LSU Last Chance Qualifier in February.
Who could blame Langley after running a fieldhouse composite record time of 9:16.10 on the sixth anniversary of Eric Coston's 9:17 performance.
The LSU Last Chance Qualifier is one of our favorite meets. The best in the state. All under one roof. No divisions. It's a thing a beauty...especially when an athlete has an amazing performance and we get to hear the glorious roar of the Carl Maddox crowd.
Some of the best 3200m runners in Louisiana history seem to like it as well. The top five 3200m indoor times in the MileSplit LA database have all come from the LSU Last Chance Qualifier.
RANKINGS!: Louisiana's All-Time Indoor 3200m Times!
Langley has moved on to LSU, where he is coming off of his first cross country season. His best finish came at the LSU Cross Country Invitational where he finished No. 14 with a 6000m time of 19:30.80.
The picture of Langley just fell in Tabb's lap, well, not literally, but almost.
"What I remember about the photo was being in awe at how fast he ran and being able to capture a photo of his hard work and then the exhaustion of the race," Tabb said.
Tabb, who is a former javelin thrower from Destrehan, graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in May with a bachelors in social work and a minor in criminal justice, currently works for the Department of Children and Family Services in Tangipahoa Parish.
READ MORE: HURT SO GOOD! Zachary's Rhen Langley Takes Down 3200m Record!
SALUTE TO SENIORS! "My Journey" by Rhen Langley!