Bundled up on the trail on a freezing Tuesday morning, senior cross country captain, Gemma Goddard warms her hands as she prepares to run her district race.

“After the race was very rewarding, and although my whole body was numb, it was just super exciting to be with my team and know that we [were] moving on to region,” Goddard said.

The girls team won district on Oct. 27, with Goddard placing first individually. This morning, the girls also won the regional meet Corpus Christi.

“I’m just glad that we’re able to run, even though we have less meets and we’re not able to practice as a full team,” Goddard said. “But even without it, we still get to train hard every day and grow stronger together as a team.”

After placing first in the girls varsity race at district, Goddard placed eighth in the region meet, alongside her teammate, senior Emma Saia who placed fourth.

“We’re super excited for the competition and to move on to state, we also get to go to the beach which is super exciting,” Goddard said. “I’m really looking forward to the team bonding and all the memories I will be able to make this year.”

Despite the weather complications and location change from Old Settlers Park to the nearby water park due to weather at the district meet, the boys varsity team placed second and secured a spot at the regional meet.

“District was very interesting this year because we didn’t get to run the course I was hoping to run on, which affected [my] times and strategy, ” junior Kevin Sanchez said. “I placed higher and I’m very happy with my performance. I feel like it couldn’t have gotten better.”

Satisfied with his results at district and feeling good about his workouts Sanchez felt prepared for today’s region meet.

“Region is going to be very different in a bunch of different ways. New region, new competition. This is also a new course I’ve never run before,” Sanchez said. “[I’m] still looking forward to it.”

Though the students run as a team, the individual runners also consider their own goals and achievements, pushing for better times as well as improving their own skills as an athlete.

“I’ll give it my all at region, but we’ll just have to wait and see if I [personal record] or not,” Sanchez said. “I’m ready for the challenges that I may come to face.”

As the runners move forward in their season, the stress of winning is not the only thing on their mind. The issues of weather, location, and new trails are small compared to the adaptations made for COVID-19.

“It was nerve-wracking with COVID going on and not knowing if you’re going to be able to run cross-country just because no one knew how long this is going to last, but it was especially nerve-wracking because it’s my senior year and I was stressed out,” Goddard said. “I didn’t know if I was going to have the senior year I had always hoped for and this year it’s definitely different with a late-season and a lot of restrictions on my practicing and how big meets can be.”

Despite experiencing COVID-19’s impacts on this year’s season, Sanchez reflects on his own personal growth as a runner during a different kind of season.

“I’ve definitely matured a lot this season. I’ve become a lot more disciplined in this sport and I’ve seen that discipline pay off in massive ways,” Sanchez said. “COVID-19 was definitely a big limiter to the competition.”

Though COVID-19 made its impacts clear, the runners weren’t stopped in their tracks, or in this case, trails. Limited by competition and mandate rules, again, the team’s strategies changed, but they still continued their commitment to cross country through sportsmanship as and supporting their peers.

“It is very comforting whenever you are struggling in a race to know that you have teammates around who will be by your side and have courage,” Goddard said. “Having them by my side gives me a lot of motivation to become a better athlete.”