It was hot. It was the last part of the meet; the last race to be exact. It was the middle school two-mile race at the Waxahachie Woodhouse Invitational.
Telling the runners, they were last; well, to them, that could just mean they were the encore. Telling them it was hot; well, what's new in Texas and what else did they have to do on a Saturday morning besides watch cartoons.
What they did was run an impressive race and to my amazement showcase their determination and desire to beat the elements and distance intriguing me want to know who they were.
What I found out was that not only was this the first race of the season, but for the top three medalists, it was actually the first cross country races in their lives.
The trio of seventh graders swept the top three spots and outlasted the eight grade competitors in doing so. Graham Hummel, Sheldon Connell, and Judson Graves all ran under 12:17 for the two-mile distance with Hummell going 11:31 and Connell and Graves both crossing in 12:16.
When describing his strategy, Hummell said, "my plan was to go out and not work myself too hard in the beginning. I felt like it (first cross country race ever) was so different than anything I've ever done, it was really fun." Hummell had a commanding lead going through the first mile and was just as strong as he continued into the finish. A lot of his fitness and competitiveness can be attributed to him being a triathlete.
Connell, the runner-up didn't start off as fast as he was a ways back at the one mile. "I tried to be up with the leaders, but I couldn't until the end, I didn't really know the course, but I was sprinting a lot the last half mile," he said. Connell who had run track before acknowledged the difference between the two sports, saying, "when I run track, it's so much different, it was hard, but it felt good when you get to the end."
Graves, who trains with Hummell for the triathlon also used his experience and fitness from the sport to get through his first race. I didn't go out too fast in the beginning so I wouldn't run out of energy and then I just tried to hold a fast pace the rest of the way," he said.
Hummell and Graves both compete for Dallas Homeschool Athletics Association and Graves for Flower Mound Coram Deo all liked the experience and they gave it thumbs up to running cross country again.