The Upper Lynn Canal was well-represented at a cross-country meet in Sitka last weekend with multiple members of Haines and Skagway teams setting personal records.
For the Haines High School cross-country team, every single member achieved a personal best time in what coach Jordan Baumgartner described as a treat of sunny Sitka weather.
“Every kid ran their fastest race of their high school career this week,” he said. “We had goal-setting sessions last week, and almost every runner met or exceeded their goals. It was amazing to see the progress, especially after some tough training sessions leading up to this meet.”
Baumgartner took five runners of his eight runners to Sitka: Mary, Anna and Camelia Bell along with TJ Smith and Will Davis. Each came into the race with individual goals, some aiming to get faster while others focused on finishing strong.
Camelia Bell, a second-year runner and senior this year, smashed her previous personal best by nearly two minutes, clocking in at 22:50.
“I had no idea. And I didn’t actually see the board when I finished, I was just focusing on ‘I just gotta finish, you know?’” she said.
Bell said her mother told her she’d come in under 23 minutes.
“I was shocked,” she said. “I realize now that I’m going to have to just keep improving that.”
Fellow senior TJ Smith also set a personal record of 20:40 – while battling shin splints throughout the race.
“I just kind of gritted my teeth and thought about my elementary PE teacher yelling at me and was pushed through that way,” he said, with a laugh. “In the end, I’m happy with my time.”
Smith said he enjoyed watching the gains his teammates made.
“It’s weird being a senior and kind of realizing, ‘Oh, it’s my last time running this race and, you know, doing this sport for my high school career,’” he said. “Being able to see everybody also kind of grow up and get their times better, you know, mature as teammates … I think it’s probably my favorite part of the sport actually is just the camaraderie about it.”
The course itself, set in Sitka’s Totem Park, presented a unique challenge this year. While it’s known for its flat terrain – generally allowing for faster times – the runners had to contend with the overwhelming smell of rotting fish.
“You’d be running and just get hit by this wall of dead salmon,” said Bell.
Haines cross-country athletes shared a ferry ride home with Skagway’s cross-country team, most of them sleeping for the bulk of the ride back from Juneau.
Skagway coach Kortney Rupprecht said this year’s team boasts 13 runners – 12 boys and one girl – many of whom have been running together since middle school.
“The team is incredibly close,” Rupprecht said. “They support each other, challenge each other, and are always there to cheer on their teammates.”
Skagway finished second in its division in Sitka, just behind the powerhouse team from Wrangell whose standout junior Boomchain Loucks crossed the finish line with a personal best of 16:42:46.
Logan Rupprecht, Kortney’s son, finished first among his Skagway teammates with a time of 19:24.
“He’s aiming for a sub-19 time before the season ends,” she said. “He’s come really close and knows that it’s within his reach.”
He was among five runners on the team who came in under 21:00.
Zane Coughran another Skagway runner, also hit a major milestone by breaking the 20-minute barrier with a time of 19:51.
“I’ve been chasing that sub-20 for awhile,” he said. “It feels really good to finally get there.”
Beyond the relatively flat course, Kortney Rupprecht also attributed the two teams’ good times to Sitka’s team offering a sports medicine expert to the racers.
“It was interesting because she got to help several of our people with shin problems,” Rupprecht said. “She showed them – like gave them advice on shoes and their form and how they stand. Helped them, helped me see how to tape them.”
With the end of the short season right around the corner, both teams are setting their sights on the next big meet in Juneau, regionals in Ketchikan, then the state competition in Anchorage.