Not quite in the distance running vein, but as a high school sophomore I was running the 100m in a (no kidding) Latin Club Olympics in Georgia. In a tunic. I was up against several guys who ran track - team singlets, spikes, etc. Me, I had my $20 Tom McAnn specials. The attendees and contestants were primarily African-American - I was an exception.
So halfway down the straight, I'm on the shoulder of the leader, and I hear "Hey, that white boy can run!" That's high praise in the South. Pretty much started me on my entire running career. But I'm a distance runner now.