Cross Country takes on their first meet of the season

Cross country started its season strong at the Hebron Friday Night Hawk Two Mile Invitational on Aug. 20 in Carrollton,TX.

There were over 30 teams at the meet, so the races were packed. The Colony’s top runners were Devon Judelson who ran a 10:19.40 and placed 14 out of 62 boys. Emily Broach led the Girls team placing 13 out 123 athletes by running a 13:01.8 .To prepare for this meet the runners had to train themselves not just physically, but mentally, too.

“I had my goal times in my mind for about 2 weeks before the meet,” Senior Emily Broach said. “I was prepared, I ate and slept well beforehand.”

The coaches were proud of how the students ran, but stressed that there is and always will be room for improvement. They’ve been training in the Texas morning heat since Monday, June 7.

“We practiced at Five Star and a few other places around The Colony this summer while the track was closed due to construction on the football field,” Head Cross country and Track Coach Anthony Doran said. “The Two Mile Invite is a warm-up race to prepare for a racing mentality.”

High School Cross country races typically consist of 5ks, which are 3.1 miles. But, most teams choose to open their season with a two mile race to help prepare runners for the season. 

“I had some race anxiety before the race, as we started I felt like giving up because it was hard, but afterwards I was happy with how I performed,” Senior Dylan Judelson said. “I placed 23rd out of 62 Runners, and I ran a 10:34.60 .”

The runners believe they were prepared for this meet and ran as a team in order to help push each other through the first race of the season. 

“Cross country has its moments where it’s super fun and rewarding, that’s what keeps me going,” Broach said.