By BRUCE CYRA
For The Beachcomber
Last Saturday’s blustery wind did not seem to affect the island’s cross-country runners as the teams competed against 21 other schools in Tacoma’s Titlow Park.
The scenic and fast 5K course, on the waterfront just south of the Narrows Bridge, set up personal bests for both veterans and those new to the sport.
Vashon High School’s cross-country coach Laura Johnson said that the runners were up against “a tough field of competitors and a course that was incredibly diverse.” She also said the course “held a few hidden obstacles,” referring to a narrow bridge that the harriers had to get across a mere 200 meters after the start.
Junior Isaac Hughes set a new personal best of 18:47, leading the Pirate men’s varsity team. Sophomore Collin Protzeller, in his first race as a Pirate, ran an impressive 20:46 in the junior varsity race. The McMurray Mustangs were well represented by eighth-graders Cole Parks and Simon Clark, who both ran personal bests of 22:14 and 22:16 respectively.
In the Pirates’ varsity women’s race, freshman Lucy Boyle led the team with a time of 21:48. But the team took a hit when it lost junior Aria Mildon to a badly swollen twisted ankle just past the two-mile mark.
The Pirates continued their busy schedule with a league meet hosted by Tacoma’s Charles Wright Academy at Fort Steilacoom Park last Monday afternoon after press time.
Runners will make the long trip to the Hoquiam Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 10, where they will run with 23 other teams. The Mustangs will get a chance to show their metal against eight teams there, running the normal one-and-a-half mile middle school distance, which should seem short in comparison to what they have become accustomed to running with the high school team on a 5K course.
The Hoquiam Invitational will take place at Hoquiam High School and will begin with the men’s and women’s frosh/soph race at 10:15 a.m. Junior varsity teams will race at 11 a.m., varsity at 11:45 a.m. and middle school teams at 1:10 p.m.
— Bruce Cyra is an island runner and cross-country fan.
