Keys runners took part in two different events on Oct. 15, with the Lady ’Canes traveling to Miami for the Mater Academy Lions Invitational at Larry & Penny Thompson Park.
Coral Shores fared well, capturing second place overall in the team competition. Ali Wheatley won the race, outpacing athletes from across Miami and finishing the five kilometers in 21:18. The course was lonely for the sophomore sensation, with no one to challenge her or push the pace – the closest competitor was nearly a minute behind. Tess Hill was second for the Hurricanes, finishing in 26:19 for 14th place. Aria Booton was one place and 10 seconds behind Hill, and Hayden Teal crossed the line in 17th place. Isabelle Jacobs, Julieanna Oddo and Emma Sogegian all cracked the top 30 places to help boost the team into the runner-up spot.
Runners from Key West and Marathon opted to meet in the middle. Competitors followed a course through the heart of Key Deer country, enjoying the rural sights and lighter traffic of Big Pine Key. Some participants even tacked on a few tenths of a mile onto their courses by running around water hazards and an occasional wrong turn, but most were happy for the change in scenery and all were up for the challenge.
Marathon’s boys swept the top three spots, with freshman Lucian Burns claiming first place. Burns finished in 18:25 with teammate Tony Bursa seven seconds behind. Allan Taylor crossed in 19:07, then Key West’s Prometheus Delacerda finished fourth in 19:19. Behind Delacerda was Caleb Shelar of Marathon. Alejandro Caridad finished in sixth for the Conchs, followed by Landon Anderson and Anthony Vargas of Marathon. Colin Palomino and Charlie Delashmit from Key West rounded out the top 10.
In the girls competition, Molly Joly was the winner with a time of 22:57. Fellow Dolphin Mylana Losa was second in 25:49. Violet Jangraw was the lone runner for the Lady Conchs, capturing third place in 27:19. Danaic Bessy, Ariella Dworniczak and Kala Skaarup finished in fourth through sixth places and gave the Fins the win in the team competition.
Donavyn Coffelt and Emily Moore placed first in the boys and girls 3K race, which offered middle school runners an opportunity to race along a shorter course. Both athletes hail from Sugarloaf School.
The regular season cross country clock is winding down, with just the 305 Classic and Junior Orange Bowl races left before districts. Athletes have two more weeks to pick up their paces for a chance for postseason glory. Marathon runs Nov. 4 in Boca Raton at South County Regional Park while Coral Shores and Key West must wait until Nov. 6 when they travel to Larry & Penny Thompson Park for their district races.
