The kids competed at the county Cross Country Championships this Thursday. After some heavy rain earlier in the week, it was a beautiful fall day to cheer for the local kids around Arcata's Community Center.
Fuente is a small school with a lot of great runners! We're thankful to have had Coach Kristin lead the team for another year!
The little kids (K-2) ran almost a mile, a longer distance than the other races this season. Niall kept to the front of the pack and finished sixth overall and fourth for his grade, but I think he misjudged the finish line, slowing down rather than sprinting past the clock. He finished in 7:17:23, a minute faster than last year, and just eight milliseconds behind his friend and rival Ivan, who passed him right at the end.
Pippa, Finn, N
Iver was pumped to take on his rivals in the 3-5th grade race of the distance of two miles, including some hills. He avoided snacking before the race because he's thrown up at the finish line at both of the last two years' final meets (2024 and 2023)!
He always looks so comfortable (think: effortless) when he runs but got outsprinted at the end by Jules, the kid who beat him at almost all of the other meets this season. He finished the two miles in 13:00 (shaving 20 seconds off last year's time) and in fourth place for his grade (fifth overall with one extremely fast third grader taking second place)!
The top ten finishers per grade (split into boys and girls) got an award (ribbon or medal).
Niall
Iver
I had no interest in running long races when I was a kid (or now, for that matter, even thought I've gritted my way through some!). I'm really proud of our small, skinny kids for their athleticism and grit in a hard mental (and physical) sport. I'm not sure they'll still want to race next year, but they truly had a great season (even if the additional races/practices made our schedule crazy). It is so fun to see so many local kids competing and being celebrated (and because I delivered many of them!). Until (possibly...) next year.
“Camaraderie in cross-country isn’t just about cheering for each other—it’s about pushing each other to be better.” – Paula Radcliffe
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