Curt Carey the son of a veteran distance runner Carl Carey, Carl was on the winning 1954 Indianapolis Shortridge High School cross country team and placed 16th in the Worlds Veteran Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Carl got Curt running at an early age and at thirteen Curt could keep up with the pack in most ten milers until the later miles.

Curt continued running every road race in travel distance. One coach said that he would see him ten or more miles from home and he was sure that he would run to return. Curt’s training diary showed 120 – 140 mile a week was not uncommon. The high school coaching staff at South Putnam High School looked forward to him joining their team. However, Curt’s family moved to the neighboring Owen Valley school system in his freshman year, and he ran in the years of the tough southern Indiana cross country competition.