Susan Wong is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Phoenix Country Day School for AZPreps365.

Everything about this cross-country race seemed strange. Runners either had masks on their face or looped around their wrist. Coaches and spectators stayed socially distant and were required to keep their masks on the whole time.Tempe Preparatory athletes with masks on at the starting line as they wait for the race to begin. (Susan Wong/AZPreps365)

When the Phoenix Country Day School’s cross country team competed at the Erin Botma Cross Country Invitational hosted by Valley Christian High School last week, so many aspects of the meet were new, even for the veteran runners. 

“I’ve been running for eight years, but I’m still so nervous every time I have a meet,” PCDS senior Claire Linos said, shortly after she crossed the finish line at Kiwanis Park in Tempe on Sept. 29.

“This is my fourth time doing this meet, but because of coronavirus I wasn’t sure how they were going to split it up,” Linos said.

Instead of having one boys race and one girls race like they usually do, this year the meet organizers split each race up into three waves separated by two minutes. Runners were given different colored wristbands to differentiate which wave they were in. 

“The wave thing was really trippy because there was no distinction besides these wristbands and you can’t really tell who’s [in your wave.]” Linos said. She also mentioned that there was no “rabbit” on a bike to lead the race which was unusual, and that the race instructions were confusing even with the course map.

Freshman Kimi Cahoon came in fourth place with a time of 21:59. This was Cahoon’s first 5k and she said she was very nervous because it also was her first high school meet. She hopes to cut two minutes off her time and get at or under 20 minutes by the end of the season. Freshman Kimi Cahoon as she crosses the finish line. (Susan Wong/AZPreps365)

“It didn’t feel like a 5k, it didn’t feel any different than any other race, but that’s just probably because we’ve been training for a 5k,” said Cahoon, adding she struggled to find her pace and figure out “when to pass people or not.”

Linos came in just after Cahoon in fifth place with a time of 22:17. She’s about two minutes off the PR she ran at state last season, but she said this course was especially challenging and confusing. Linos’ goal this season is still to hit or beat her PR from state, but she’s worried that the delayed training due to the coronavirus may affect her times.

Sophomore Ella Brenes was the third PCDS finisher and came in 28th with a time of 24:39. The girls team finished fourth out of 12 teams overall.

Freshman Jacques Sevrain was the Eagles' top boys performer, with a time of 22:34. Jack Linquist, also a freshman, followed about a minute after with a time of 23:33 and sophomore Quinn Pruitt scored a time of 25:33. The PCDS boys finished 13th of 16 teams overall. (All times courtesy athletic.net.)

Junior Jack Dahl striding down the final stretch of the course as he nears the finish line. (Susan Wong/AZPreps365)

The hills and the heat -- it was close to 100 degrees at race time -- were the most challenging part of the race, according to Linos. She described it as a love-hate relationship because even though she was able to anticipate the hills, they’re still “very hard, but it gives you a lot of momentum on the way down, so it helped me speed up in the second half.”

“We practice in the mornings, it’s our first afternoon 100-degree run, so a lot of new things for [the athletes],” coach Camilo Tafur said. He was happy with the results, noting the team had fun and challenged themselves. 

The best part of being on the team, Cahoon, said, was its closeness, despite all the obstacles PCDS has faced this fall. 

Their next meet will be the 62nd annual Thunderbird “Dave Doerrer” Invitational on Oct. 10 at Mountain View Park. Hosted by Thunderbird High, this meet is the oldest and longest-running cross country invitational in Arizona. The first official race begins at 8:15 a.m., but there is an “Alumni and Friends Run” starting at 7:45 a.m.