Although cross country is a sport that is defined on statistics, it is, nonetheless, one that defies statistical analysis. There is something less subjective, and more mortal, that (pardon the double entendre) runs deeper than the times and trophies. It is the human heart.
BOYS VARSITY : A Tale of Two Hearts
Watching Mainland’s Chris Rudloff from afar (which is generally how most people view him), I see a head, two arms, two very fast moving legs, and, instead of a body, I see this big old heart just pumping away for all it’s worth.
Someone with a firmer grip on reality might see, instead, an athlete that stands out from the rest of the lead pack with a rather unorthodox stride. Or they might notice his predictable race strategy: he tenaciously hangs onto to whoever is in the lead for as long as he possibly can, then somehow taps into his reserve tank and outkicks the victim-of-the day to win by a comfortable margin.
I once knew this runner who was something like 29-2 in close races. One of those losses came when a course was short by .1. He had closed a 30 yard gap and was about to pass his opponent for the win, but when the two turned the corner, boom, there was the finish line. Second by a step. The other loss was when he set a mega-PR, while tailgating the lead runner--a guy he had never seen before--for three solid miles. Unbeknownst to him, some years earlier that other runner had just missed qualifying for the Olympic team in the steeplechase. In other words, he set a PR while trying to beat someone way out of his league. When it was close, however, as in those 29 other races, he was still a pretty safe bet.
Chris Rudloff is just such a competitor. He’s like a pre-Pre. Or better yet, a mini (Billy) Mills (look him up before your next race). If it’s close, perhaps even when it shouldn’t be, he’ll push past, as Rudloff put it, “dead, wobbly legs, and the dizziness,” because he’s thinking, “Great, this torture will soon be over,” as he leaves you in his dust.
For most of the race, Rudloff and Joey Elsakr of Spruce Creek were so close that it seemed as if someone had stitched their uniforms together. (Check out the running twins in the photo where they’re passing the fence.)
“At the first half mile, a bunch of guys were up there with me and Chris,” explained Elsakr. “Brandon was the first to drop off, then Willie. I tried to set the pace and to keep Chris back.
“He (Chris) started to fight for the lead (about 800 meters to go), then took it in the woods (about 600 left). He tried to put some distance on me. I tried not to let him get away, and catch up, but he kept the same distance.”
Rudloff’s 16:23 was exactly ten seconds faster than his winning time a month earlier (on this same course). Elsakr, once again in second, was nine seconds faster. Their splits were 5:10 and 10:30.
The Team Race
Early in the season, I attended one of Flagler Coach David Halliday’s “pancake runs.” I’m sure most teams have them: you run, you eat, and--for inspiration--you watch pre-recorded races on television. Mostly, he sees you, you see that he’s watching you, and (in the very least) you give up all hope that you can slack off under his watch.
At that time his top runner was junior Brandon Earle. Junior Willie Williams, who, three months before was a sprinter on the track team, seemed convinced that he still was one. Behind the two were what might best be called a promising senior, and several “undeveloped underclassmen.”
That afternoon, while studying the previous year’s XC statistics, I arrived at the mistaken conclusion that the 5 Star Boys Team Championship would be a close race between Spruce Creek and Flagler.
Let’s fast forward to October 29. The Flagler team that Coach Halliday brought to Sperling Sports Complex was composed of the same members of his “breakfast club.” However, they were now composed, confident, and very, very, well coached.
Despite the credentials of Rudloff, Elsakr, and two stars to be named later, Brandon and Willie took off as part of the lead pack, giving the aforementioned 1-2 runners a run for their money. This was not a tactical race. It was survival of the fittest. And Flagler had the five fittest: Willie Williams (third in 16:44); Brandon Earle (fourth in 17:03); Matt Howes (fifth in 17:04); future 10K runner CJ Lockhart (seventh in 17:33), and Jason Lust (eleventh in 17:58). The only non-Flaglerites in third through twelfth were Deland’s Andrew Epifanio (sixth in 17:22) and Spruce Creek’s Mark Poulson (eighth in 17:41).
The second heart that I alluded to earlier is that of Coach David Halliday, and it, too, is a big one. His ticker reminds me of “Croc” in Peter Pan; when he shows up at a meet (tick-tock), you’d better watch out. He was the “sixth man” responsible for Flagler’s 5 Star team championship.
TEAM RESULTS: Flagler 31 (3-4-5-7-12-16-19), Spruce Creek 63 (2-8-10-20-23-30-36) and Deland 78 (6-14-15-21-22-24-29). There were 51 runners in this race.
GIRLS VARSITY
In juxtaposition, the results of the girls race reads as a complete contrast to that of the boys. There was little drama, certainly the results were no surprise, but there was a tiny bit of sadness as it marked the end of the Mandy Perkins/Brooke Nebel era. Here was a class act (oops, did it again) that will be long remembered after the two seniors graduate.
Like many 5 Star races in the past, Mandy led, from start to finish, with Brooke solidly in second. One has to wonder, how difficult is it to run a 19:04 when there’s no one close, so I asked Mandy.
“I just run like I have someone on my shoulder, all the time…like a pack of girls were on me,” she confided afterwards. “I think that I could have run a half minute better if I had someone to run with, but that will change soon,” she added, referring to the District 1-4A Championships, also at Deland, on November 8th.
After Nebel (19:56), in third place, was ninth grader Brooke Landry (20:25), of Flagler Palm Coast. She led a trio of FPCs: Michelle Futch was fourth in 20:43, and Danielle Hagins fifth in 20:51. In fact, between them, Creek and FPC swept the first ten places. Take away the seniors from both teams, and it would have been Flagler 29, Creek 33, something that I’m sure coaches from both schools will be thinking about for the next twelve months.
TEAM RESULTS: Spruce Creek 24 (1-2-6-7-8-10-19), Flagler 33 (3-4-5-9-12-16-18). A young Seabreeze team (four freshmen and a sophomore) was third with 86 (11-13-17-22-23-25-36). 49 girls ran.
BOYS JV
Between them, Spruce Creek--led by Frosh/Soph champion Brian LaStarza (first in 18-flat)--and Flagler (Simon Dietrich, second in 18:18) took 11 of the first 12 places in the race. Even after that, it didn’t look a whole lot better for the rest of the conference.
TEAM RESULTS: Spruce Creek 27 (1-3-4-9-10-12-15), Flagler 33 (2-5-7-8-11-18-19) Deland 82 (14-16-20-21-25-26-27). 82 finished.
GIRLS JV
Spruce Creek’s junior Kacie Meredith ran a time that would have put her in 13th place in the varsity race--21:54--to win the top finisher award and lead her team to the JV conference title.
The Hawks placed seven in the top ten (1-2-5-6-7-8-9), leaving Deland and Flagler to battle it out for the runner-up prize. It was Deland’s Ashley Perrin, whose third place finish in 22:52, that pushed Deland past Flagler. That eclipsed her season’s previous best time by two minutes. There is no truth to the rumor that she was carrying her lucky discus.
In second for Spruce Creek was freshman Rainey Tyner (22:47).
TEAM RESULTS: Spruce Creek 21, Deland 63 (3-11-13-17-19-20-24), and Flagler 70 (4-10-12-16-28-32).
Although cross country is a sport that is defined on statistics, it is, nonetheless, one that defies statistical analysis. There is something less subjective, and more mortal, that (pardon the double entendre) runs deeper than the times and trophies. It is the human heart.