It\'s how you run a race —
Wildcat harriers explain the art of surviving a three-mile test of endurance
By Matthew Ockinga, World sports writer
EAST WENATCHEE — Few activities in high school athletics are as grueling as a cross-country race. No other prep sport requires roughly 15-23 minutes of non-stop physical activity with no time-outs or huddles. It's just three brutal miles of endurance while dealing with huffing, cramping, sweating and that white stuff that forms in your mouth when you're dehydrated.
The Eastmont Wildcats will be running eight such races this year with a young team that includes just nine girls. Head coach Gary Milliard will rely heavily on seniors Rafael Gonzalez, Carley Vergine, Eric Davies, Cassie Manring and Callie Chestnut to set the pace for the youngsters. Vergine finished 24th last year at regionals, the closest any of the returners came to state.
"We were really young last year, and we still are really young," Milliard said. "Over half the team is freshmen and sophomores. We haven't been way up in the upper echelon of the league in the last four years."
Because a cross-country race can be such a daunting task for runners at any level, we asked the Wildcat harriers to give step-by-step instructions on how to survive a three-mile gut check.
Christian Eigert
Year: Sophomore
Rank on team: No. 4
The first mile: "Usually I start out slow and build up so I don't really kill myself on the first mile. Usually you have so much adrenaline that it's running at a certain point. I'm not like a go-all-out (at the start) type of runner. When the adrenaline is going you have a tendency of pushing yourself for the first mile then you start to pull back so I can race a little more wisely."
Callie Chestnut
Year: Senior
Rank on team: No. 2
Climbing hills: "Just put your head down and go up as fast and as hard as you can. You try to get your upper body parallel with the slope of the hill and open up your arms and swing up hard."
Carley Vergine
Year: Senior
Rank on team: No. 1
Passing: "I just try to be in the top people and just thinking if they're from another team or even if they're on my team to get past them and get a better time. You say, 'OK, I need to get past that person.'"
Cassie Manring
Year: Senior
Rank on team: No. 3
The second mile: "The second mile is where training comes in because the first mile is on adrenaline, the second mile is basically training because the third mile is hard. The second mile is where you kind of see where you're at. You kind of calm down and realize you're competing."
Micah Spaun
Year: Senior
Rank on team: No. 3
Downhill: "It's pretty much like don't hold back, let yourself go, don't be breaking with your feet every time. Try to lean forward as much as you can without falling. I try to pass people going down the hills because it doesn't use much energy to just let yourself fall down the hill."
Eric Davies
Year: Senior
Rank on team: No. 2
Sprinting: "Usually when you're finishing races, sprinting is really important. It's also important when you begin. Usually for good placement you want to use pretty good speed. For the extra couple seconds at the end, it's hugely important. There are a few times in the first mile of the race when you want to sprint — when you surge past someone, when you break away from the pack to discourage someone from passing you. When going up to the top of hills, take 10 quick steps to get back up to your pace."
Rafael Gonzalez
Year: Senior
Rank on team: No. 1
The last mile: "There's usually groups that you run (with). I look at the next group in front of me and I make a goal to get with them, then get away from your own group (and) then slowly go faster. I do it nice and slow. I do long strides. It doesn't look like I'm going faster but I am. I don't all of a sudden explode. I'm just lengthening my strides."
(Note: Rankings on teams subject to change)