August 29, 2020
Contributed by: Melissa Koontz – Kenny Lake invited us up for a fun 5k. It was a small race with only Glenallen, Kenny Lake and Valdez. The course was an interesting mixture of grass, pavement, dirt 4-wheeler trail, and a dirt single track. The runners really enjoyed the single track. The course was relatively flat with a couple of gentle hills.
Freshman Anika Palomar raced first against one Kenny Lake runner and 4 runners from Glenallen. She improved last week’s time by almost 2 minutes, finishing in 29:20.
Next, Freshman Rafe Caruthers, Freshman McKennan Mayer, Sophomore Cole Wadsworth, and William Benes raced against one runner from Glenallen and two from Kenny Lake. By this time, it was beginning to warm up. Caruthers overcame shin splints to place 5th with a time of 26:27, over thirty seconds slower than Birch Hill. Mayer picked up speed in the last 100 years and sprinted to the finish, completing his first 5k at 34:52. Wadsworth also was struggling with feet and shin pain, but finished strong at 27:51. Benes started the race in fifth place, but slowly began to pick off runners. Nearing the end of the first lap, Benes was right on the heels of the leader.
As soon as he exited the single track, he made his move and gained a substantial lead. Benes was able to hold the lead and finished first at 21:02, fourteen seconds faster than Birch Hill.
We continue to work on endurance and speed. On Wednesday, September 2nd we will host Glenallen. Middle school races begin at 4:00pm, followed by a combined high school race. Volunteers are needed at the start/finish and along the Mineral Creek trail/road. Friday, we travel to North Pole to another relatively flat course.
