On Saturday, Nov. 9 juniors Robert Neeley and Eric Gordon went traveled to Round Rock, TX to compete in the State Cross Country UIL 6A Boys 5K Championship. In this 5K race, Neeley placed 63rd with a time of 15:47 and Gordon finished 72nd with a time of 15:51.
The pair raced against 145 other cross country runners out of thousands across the state.
Both boys trained up to 50 miles a week to make sure that they could run faster for the longer distances; however, running is not the only way to prepare for a race. According to cross country coach Joshua Allen, training mentally for the race is important in order to succeed.
The adrenaline that courses through one’s veins when stretching before a race is exciting to both of the juniors.
“Nothing beats that moment when we’re on the line, everybody is ready to go and you’ve done everything that you can do to be in that moment,” Neeley said.
While the boys didn’t place as well as they had hoped in the state competition, the experience was enjoyable according to Gordon.
“It wasn’t the race I wanted and I definitely have higher goals for next year,” Gordon said.