It was a cool, breezy evening in Crystal Lake Park in south Corvallis. I stood in a small, masked group of high school boys. On my side were eight in white and blue shorts and tank tops; the other half wore black and red. Perfect contrast for two rival cross country teams.
The teams were Corvallis High School—my running home for four years—and Crescent Valley, our intra-city competition. The day was March 3. A year of disruption had led us here, to the first race of the season, which should have been back in September. In mere seconds, we would be off on a looping 5k race through the park.
Let's back up.
It was over a year ago -- March 13, 2020 -- when the first blow hit. We learned that we could no longer meet for track practice. None of us expected to be out for long -- a couple weeks, we told ourselves, and we'll be back. But soon after the announcement the season was cancelled.
From then on, the Oregon School Athletic Association seemed to be toying with us. There would be a cross country season. No, there wouldn't. We could meet in masks -- but three weeks later we could no longer meet at all. Finally a decision was made. We were given the distant starting date of late February. It felt strange, it felt wrong, but it was something.
We started meeting again in December, with the OSAA’s blessing. Once again we spent our cold mornings and afternoons running together on the wealth of Corvallis trails and paths. There was a sense of fragility, the learned knowledge that the season we had been given could be taken away. But still it was a hopeful time, laden with all the hopes of the months before.
This time around it was here to stay. By mid-January, the excitement had returned. Soon, we said, we'd be back to racing. And we were, on the quiet March evening as the sun dipped into swaying branches of trees.
The gun went off. We were finally racing. I took the lead early, going out fast and trying to hang on. A pack of three CV runners followed me, gradually closing the gap over the second mile — though, of course, I didn’t know it at the time. With a thousand meters left, one of them pulled ahead to pass me. I tried to catch him as the finish line neared, but my legs were dying from the quick start. He went on to beat me by five seconds, though I set a personal record of 16:49, 18 seconds faster than my previous best.
When the scores were tallied, Crescent Valley had beaten us handily, with all five scorers in the top six. This was expected—they’ve had the upper hand in the rivalry for years—and it didn't disappoint us as we walked back over the grass to leave. Nothing so small as defeat could impinge on the joy we felt in being back.
The season that this race began—and my last season of high school—is over now. I kept improving, peaking at 16:30 before a minor hip strain led to a disappointing finish. Now I move on to track, and after that to college; I’ve committed to run at George Fox University.
I don't know what will happen at my track meet this week, but I know that it will happen. I, my team, and all the high school runners around the Willamette Valley will continue to push ourselves to the limit in pursuit of excellence.
That is comfort enough.
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