Northeast Kings Education Centre Race Recap

The races on Wednesday in Canning at Northeast Kings Education Centre were, nominally, three kilometres, four kilometres, and five kilometres for the juniors, intermediates, and seniors. The courses are new, so the times that Coach Robinson has recorded in past years are not comparable to today (though I will be able to compare a year from now!). We do not keep team scores at the league level, so no comparisons to be made there. How does a runner know how well they did today? They could go by placing, but for a whole host of reasons, that’s not the best of gauges. When you take out timing, scoring, and placing, what’s left? Do they even know if they ran well today? 

 

Heck yes they know. 

Each and every runner knows if they did their best. They know if they could have ran faster: they know if they walked when no one was looking (I always see you!); they know if they jogged when they could have ran; they know if they let someone pass them when they could have sped up; they know if they concentrated on the pain in their side so much that they actually felt like they may need to be airlifted off the course. One of the many reasons that I love cross country so much is that there are no referees to blame, no fouls that derailed your game, no teammates who held you back. There is only you. That is a big and honest mirror. As scary as that can be, it can also be empowering. Once a runner realizes that they are on their own, then they may also realize that they are the ones in control; that ultimately they determine how well they do. Once they make that connection – their effort, their success – look out! Not just on a cross country trail, but in school and beyond.

 

All that said, of the 23 runners that we took to Canning, we had two place on their respective podiums. In the junior boys race I wish I knew from how far back Fletcher Wellard ‘28 came to eventually earn a bronze in his three-kilometre fishing race – he kept reeling them in! Each time I saw him run past he moved further up the placings. It was pretty much the opposite story in the junior girls division as it was really just a race of two for 3000 meters of hard-fought ground. Chelsea James ‘29 had a fantastic back and forth race earning a silver medal in a gold medal performance and earning a whole lot of respect from everyone who witnessed her duel. 

 

We had several Top 10 performances to celebrate today. Junior Nathan Woo ‘28 and senior Vinnie Armstrong ‘25 both finished just off the podium in fourth; Spencer Armstrong ‘30 placed sixth among juniors; Max Stulberger ‘24 finished in eighth in seniors, and Zoe Wellard ‘30 ran to 10th in the junior girls race.

 

Our next race is here on October 16 at the KES Western Region Championships.