This past weekend, 13 runners from the boys cross country team, including sophomores Yared Seyoum and Croix Smith, travelled to Huntsville, Alabama to race in the RunningLane Cross Country Championships. Seyoum had a 40-second PR, running 16:08, and Smith had a 7- second PR.
“This race was different from others because I got a huge PR,” Seyoum said. “I almost got All-American. Something that I did differently that helped was that I did more strides the day before the race.”
Seyoum had his biggest personal record in his first race in Huntsville. However, this is not the first time that Smith has raced on the course. He ran in RunningLane last year, but this time he said he experienced a much better environment.
“The race was drastically different from last year because the conditions were way better,” Smith said. “This year the weather was perfect for a PR, and last year it was raining and the course was muddy. I also knew more about the course and strategy I needed to do this year.”
Smith had built up a lot of confidence throughout the fall season, and after this race, he said he plans to use his experience to prepare for next year’s race in Huntsville.
“I was very confident coming into this race because I knew the amount of work that I put in, and I was confident in my ability,” Smith said. “This result will help me in the future for experience. I think in this race I started off a little too fast, and I will have more experience next time.”
Despite having ran numerous 5Ks throughout his career, Seyoum felt a different kind of pressure at Huntsville.
“There was a little bit of pressure because I felt that I needed to get a PR or else the trip would’ve been pretty disappointing,” Seyoum said. “Next year I think our team should aim for the gold race and also to place high.”
Despite the nerves, Seyoum realized just before the halfway point of his race that he was far ahead of his past times, and he kept up the pace.
“Once I hit the mile marker at 4:50, I knew I was doing good because it felt easy,” Seyoum said. “I felt good throughout the whole race even though it was way faster. This result will help me with races in the future for running in a big race environment and going out fast.”
The mile marker was also an important part of Smith’s race. He had a similar feeling that after the mile, he knew he just had to hang on to that pace to achieve a new personal best.
“I knew that I could just run my race however I wanted to,” Smith said. “I realized how fast my first mile was, and I knew if I didn’t fall off too much that I would be able to get a PR.”
With the personal victories that came this past weekend, Smith said he appreciated the great opportunity of bonding with his teammates who share the same drive as him.
“My favorite part about the trip was being able to connect with the people who are just as serious about running as I am,” Smith said. “I also really enjoyed getting a new PR.”
