The sweat running down their faces mixed with the rain falling from the sky, but they continued to run. They’d been training since August, and they had no intentions of stopping.

The cross country team ran their final race of the season at their district meet on Oct. 12. It was a wet run, but they made the most of it.

“Running in the rain felt really nice,” sophomore Elizabeth Daniel said. “There was a nice breeze and then rain would cool me down while I was running.”

The team left before school started to travel to Fairfield for the meet, arriving early so they could walk the course to get an idea of what it would be like.

“It had been raining so the course was going to be muddy and slippery,” junior Anabelle Greene said. “I walked the course so I would know where the muddy parts were and where I should step while I was running.”

The first race began with varsity girls running at 9:00 a.m. Following the girls were the varsity boys, and after them were the JV girls.

“I was really nervous and anxious for this race,” junior Miranda Ramirez said. “However, once I began running, all I was thinking about was keeping a good pace and finishing with a good time.”

After all the races were over, the team stayed to listen to awards. Although none of the runners placed in the top 10 or advanced to regionals, many improved on their time.

“I know I didn’t place in the top 10 but I sure did improve on my time,” freshman Kaylee Rodriguez said. “I still have three years left and I am definitely going to work on improving for next season.”

With the season coming to an end, the runners have goals for next season: to become a better runners and to make better times.

“Next year I am aiming to advance to regionals,” junior Brandon Almeida said. “This season was good, but I know I can do much better and I am going to strive towards becoming a better runner.”