TDHS X Country get tough at Champoeg Invitational Oct. 1.
By Jill Pearson
You’d be hard-pressed to find a group of athletes who are tougher on themselves than distance runners. Even on the days they PR, or race smart, they’re pretty self-critical.
More than a few were bemoaning, after the Champoeg Invitational on Oct. 1. at Champoeg State Park near Newberg. They felt they hadn’t raced quite as strong or as they would have liked, that they thought they were going faster on the figure 8 course than the timer revealed at the end.
“I just wanted to be better.”
Criticism aside, the Riverhawks raced strong on Saturday- which the coaches had to affirm time and again.
Of the 19 schools present, most were larger than The Dalles, with powerhouse Central Catholic and Ida B. Wells taking the top two team spots for the varsity girls and boys races. Many of their times were consistent, and the JV Blue race saw some particularly impressive PRs for Andrew Wring, Brodie Jensen, and Jarett Smith. The faster Gold race saw one runner- Caleb Caldwell- under 20 minutes, at 19:25. The gap between upper JV and 6/7 Varsity remains very narrow, with each race offering a chance for an upset.
“It’ll be fun to see what they do in Heppner, where there’s just one race,” said coach Mandi Williams.
The girls’ races were lighter than usual, down 3 JV runners and a varsity runner from the normal squad. Sophomore Alaina Casady placed in the top 20 at 20:49 (17), with Ruby Jaimes Mora a little over a minute behind at 22:15. “I felt fast on the trails,” commented senior Lucy Booth, referring to the first mile loop, a narrow winding bark path through the forest, “just not as fast as I thought.” The deception of the non-repeating course got to more than one runner, who echoed her comments. Still, they placed 6th out of 15 complete teams, proving that the recently 4A Riverhawks can still very much hold their own in the face of larger programs.
On the boys’ side. Juan Diego Contreras raced decidedly smart, trailing the lead runners for the first two and a half miles, to end in 4th just between Ida B. Wells’ Kai Mitchell-Reiss and Central Catholic’s Charlie Black at 15:40. While 10 seconds off his PR, freshman Tyson Long raced tough as well, finishing 4th varsity behind Leo and Egan. The coveted $20 prize for going sub-18 remained safe today- but not for long. Consistent with the girls’ place, the boys also went 6th, 3 points ahead of host Newberg.
It’s human nature to shy away from discomfort and disappointment- although you can learn so much more from a bad or a tough race than you can from a perfect one; and it’s better to learn when there are still four weeks until Districts. Tough races are how we grow as runners- and as people. Both physically and metaphorically, it’s why we remind ourselves to keep our “eyes up” on the hills and challenges ahead.
This Thursday, Oct. 6, the Riverhawks head to the Thompson Ranch near Heppner to run at the Mustang Invitational. You can follow their season records and rest of their schedule on athletic.net.
This story is sponsored by :
The Dalles Iron Works
Welding, Machining & Fabrication Since 1905 at 720 E. 2nd St., The Dalles.
Jon Keyser and his crew can solve your problems big or small, ranging from the manufacture of ornate iron gates to repairing heavy equipment. His team includes wife Holly and son Jon Jr. who have spent years dedicating themselves to community good, most notably on the Dufur Volunteer Fire & Ambulance.
