Cross-country runners from Dillingham, Bristol Bay, Manokotak, Koliganek, and New Stuyahok, prepare to race in Dillingham last weekend.
This is the first race in Dillingham this season and the final race before regionals. The runners prepare to tackle the 5k course on tired legs after a 2-mile race the night before.
The boy's high school runners take off from the high school parking lot. Just under 19 minutes later, the first runner rounds the corner, sprinting toward the finish, with no other runners in sight.
The first-place runner is Dillingham senior Graelin Chaney. Chaney crosses the finish line at an impressive 18:53, breaking his personal record.
Later, he says knowing this was his last race on his home course motivated him.
“Kind of knowing that I'm a senior and it's gonna be my last one so I might as well make it my best one,” said Chaney.
He says that before this race, he hadn't been able to break 19 minutes.
“There were a couple of times I thought 'I'm not racing anyone.' I'm racing 19 minutes. I was trying to imagine myself running a 19-minute flat and racing that version of myself, that's all I was thinking about,” said Chaney.
For Chaney and the three other seniors on the Dillingham team, this race marks the last regular-season race of their high school career.
Senior Laney Wood says with only regionals, and possibly states, left to come this season, she's starting to reminisce.
“This year, it's more nostalgic. It feels so heartwarming hanging out with my teammates,” said Wood.
Senior Adalgisa Reigh adds that all of their training has led up to the regional qualifiers.
“We've just been talking about it all season and now it's here so that's really exciting,” said Reigh.
The Dillingham Boys team had three runners in the top five. Chaney says with numbers like that, they have a good chance of making it to states.
“If we can run this race next weekend, we can get it,” said Chaney.
Cross-country regionals are this weekend at the Bristol Bay course in Naknek.
