On Oct. 16 at the second Peninsula Athletic League meet, Aragon’s varsity boys cross country team placed fifth out of 15 teams with a score of 148 while the varsity girls placed sixth out of 11 with a score of 117.
Both the coaches and the athletes had optimistic expectations prior to the meet, aiming to place in the top half of the PAL. This would allow them to qualify for the Central Coast Section championships.
“[We] always have high expectations,” said assistant coach John Abrams. “We’ll be hopefully healthy and ready to go and do our best on Wednesday.”
The Crystal Springs course is heralded as one of the most challenging in the entire country, known for its long initial downhill and a super steep incline dubbed “Cardiac Hill” nearing the finish. However, athletes were not nervous about running it, as meets were frequently located there, and the team had already had a meet there this season.
“I was pretty nervous when I did [the course] for the first time,” said senior Lina Cruz Parada. “But I’ve gotten used to the course, so I know what to expect.”
Cruz Parada has been doing cross country for three years, starting from freshman year. She is always aiming to update her personal record, like many other athletes on the team.
“It’s been a really long time coming because I [had not] PR[ed] on this course since around last year this time,” said senior Joshua Fu. “The last time we ran this course, I was not able to run a fast lap.”
All athletes had been focusing on preparing themselves mentally as well as physically for the meet. Abrams emphasized the amount of resilience cross-country athletes need.
“The grit and the endurance and the mental fortitude that these athletes demonstrate on a daily basis is very impressive,” Abrams said.
It was definitely a challenging run. Many athletes mentioned struggling with the terrain and many steep hills.
“I felt great at the start,” Cruz Parada said. “And then once we got to the Cardiac Hill, I slowed down a bit.”
However, the team is satisfied with its overall performance.
“I did pretty good,” said junior Dylan Lee. ”This race is probably my best race out of the whole season.”
Lee beat her goal of running 19:40 and finished with a time of 19:35, achieving a season record.
Many of the varsity boys also got personal records after this PAL meet. This includes Fu, who ran 17:44 and beat his previous record.
“It felt fun to go out a lot faster than usual,” Fu said. “We’ve been doing a lot of longer distance training, so I was more confident about getting further before dying out.”
Other athletes also feel that the training during practices has been very helpful.
“[Practice] definitely not only helps strengthen my ability, but I think it’s very important to run anyway,” Cruz Parada said.
The team had been focusing a lot on stamina during recent practices, and coaches plan to have the team working hard during practice before the next meet. They will focus again on endurance, as well as work on their speed and prepare for hills.
With building momentum, the team looks towards the stretch run of the season, beginning with the PAL Championships on Nov. 9.
