The Lady ’Canes kicked off their cross country season Aug. 27 at Palmer Trinity School in a meet that almost was not. All-too-familiar late-summer lightning delays postponed the start of the girls race long enough to prompt race directors to combine the boys and girls races.
The extra runners on the course, coupled with some already-anxious racers, led many of the top girls participants to run some extra distance. It made for a great training run, and though the times were solid for a first meet of the season, some finishers were disappointed when they saw the clock at the finish line.
Ali Wheatley led the pack for Coral Shores, finishing fourth overall in 23:40, respectable even with the extra yardage. Hayden Teal was next, finishing 36th in 28:00. Isabelle Jacobs finished in the top 50 and under the 30-minute mark, while Catalina Armstrong, Ainsley Golden, Kiri Crockett and Emma Sogegian crossed the line in rapid succession. Meilani Redruello also clocked in for the Hurricanes, giving the team eight strong competitors in the early-season run.
The following evening, Marathon traveled a bit farther to Pine Crest and toed the line for its first official race of the season. The Fins had been set to run the week prior, but the weather had other intentions.
The Lady Fins registered three varsity finishes, with many of their rostered athletes opting for the middle school race. One eligible runner who did not enter the middle school competition was eighth-grader Molly Joly, who led her team with a 21:45 performance – less than half a minute off her PR in her first meet of the season. Rebecca Merryman and Ariella Dworniczak each turned in solid performances, with Merryman crossing the line in 25:37 and Dworniczak close behind in 25:58.
The boys had enough varsity finishers to register a team placement, and Marathon’s gentlemen did not disappoint, finishing ninth out of 24 teams, many from much larger schools. Leading the Fins and finishing sixth overall was Lucian Burns, who broke his PR in 16:37 despite taking it easy in his first race of the fall. According to coach Helena Bursa, Burns still had fuel in the tank when he crossed the finish line.
Behind Burns was Antonin Bursa, who crossed the line in 17:37, about 18 seconds shy of his best race. Next came Allan Taylor (18:24), Landon Anderson (20:47) and Anthony Vargas (20:49) to round out the top five. Brayden Anderson finished his first cross country race in 22:13, counting as the Fins’ sixth man.
This week, weather permitting, the race schedule kicks into full swing. All three Keys schools will compete at Larry and Penny Thompson Park for the FNU Invitational, while Marathon and Coral Shores will return to Miami Sept. 10 for King of the Hill at Tropical Park.
