Making A Run On State: The cross country team is practicing their way to first at state

Running at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Invite on Oct. 4,  junior Charlotte Hardy broke the school record by running a 17:58 in the 5K. The SM East girls cross country team placed seventh overall out of 67 other teams. This was the team’s biggest meet of the year, with teams coming from all over the Midwest, including Arkansas, Nebraska, Texas and Missouri. 

Placing seventh out of 67 teams is an accomplishment that only makes the team want to work harder according to coach Rikkie Hacke. The goal is to give the team its first cross country state championship at the Nov. 1 meet at Rim Rock Farm. 

Last year, the team placed third overall at state. One of the team's top runners, junior Ella Ash, was out injured with a twisted ankle, and their chances weren't as high without her. Last year, when finishing in third place, they were only three points behind the tie for first and second place.

This year, the girls are eager to give the team its first cross-country state championship, especially with Ash back from her injury and some new additions to the team.

“My goal for us is to win state and beat Manhattan,” senior and runner Claire Langford said. “That’d be really cool and if it was ever the year to do it, it would be this year.” 

Manhattan High School has three freshmen who are outstanding runners. The freshmen are ranked second and third on the team, running a 18:27 and a 18:29 in the 5k, making them the main competitors at state. East has been training six days a week to beat the 1.12 seconds separating them from Manhattan from the last meet.  

The team's week consists of different workouts to strengthen the team. Monday is their “easy run,” which is around four to seven miles at a slower pace around Prairie Village. Tuesdays are the same, but Wednesdays are their “big” workouts, which involve running more mileage at a faster pace, around 12-14 miles—this is their hardest training day of the week. On Thursdays, they have the day off to prepare for meets, and on Fridays, they have a three-mile run, simulators (practice races) and strides. 

“Our little secret is two days out from a meet, we take our day off,”Hacker said. “Most schools have their day off before or after the race but the way we do it, they always seem fresher and feel pretty good for their race.”

Hardy is currently the number one runner on the team. She started running in middle school and was encouraged by her parents to continue into high school. She was second on the team as a freshman and then moved up to first in her sophomore year.

“I was like, wow, maybe I’m good at this if I'm beating all these high schoolers who have done it for a while,” Hardy said.

This year, the team gained freshman Lyla Speicher, who significantly improved their chances, as she quickly rose to become ranked second on the team, running an 18:39 5K.

At Chile Pepper, Speicher ran an 18:34, which is the fastest a freshman has ever run in school history, according to Hacker. Speicher started cross country as she had previously played soccer, where a lot of their conditioning involved running, and she fell in love with the sport. When she joined the team, everyone was super welcoming and she quickly fit right in.

“My upperclassman teammates are my favorite people ever,” Speicher said. “I definitely feel a lot of pressure because I'm still new and don't really know anything, so I definitely ask my teammates a lot [of questions].”

As of now, the team is training by doing threshold workouts, which involve completing more reps at a slower pace than race pace, compared to most high school coaches who use the VO2 method, which are fast-paced exercises. At the end of the year, the team switches to VO2 workouts.

With so many friendships and such a hardworking team, they have traditions to keep it fun for them. 

On Fridays, the team runs to the boar statue in the Prairie Village Shops and touches it on the bridge of its nose. They then hold hands in a circle around the statue and pass the squeeze from hand to hand. 

Another tradition is braiding hair on the bus to meets. Langford is the designated hair-braider for the team. They also do carbo-loads the night before meets, which, according to Hardy consist of dinners at a teammate’s house that have a lot of carbs such as pasta, pizza and bread. The spirit stick is another tradition they have; it’s a talking stick used during their stretch circle, passed down by a senior each year. 

Apart from these traditions, Hacker and Head varsity Coach Mallory Dittemore work together to build the team's strength and make it the best it can be. Hacker mainly decides the training schedule while Dittemore does all of the technical and behind-the-scenes work.

“We’re always bouncing thoughts back and forth of each other,” Hacker said. “She trusts me and I trust her, so it's just a great environment we have going on.” 

Hacker’s proudest moment of coaching the team is seeing how well the group has stayed together, through the tough times dealing with injuries or poor meets, as well as celebrating the good times.

Cross Country is an individual sport, but the team uses teamwork and works to come together as a team.

“It just makes me happy seeing them [work as a unit],” Hacker said. “And seeing them work with each other rather than against each other.”