Championship Win and Novel Adventures for Junior High Cross-Country
Members of the junior high cross-country team enjoy Thompson Pass on the way home from Valdez. Photo courtesy of Kelly Gerlach.
By Kelly Gerlach - Coach
Glennallen Junior High cross-country season ended with a first place finish by Zane Gerlach at Middle School Valley Championships at Redington High School, running 1.8 miles
in 10:24. After losing to undefeated Teeland runner, Thomas Coombes, the week before, Gerlach outpaced Coombes in the final 100 meters of Championships to win by one second in a field of 229 mostly 4A runners.
Glennallen runner Zane Gerlach in a field of athletes at the race start. Photo by Kelly Gerlach.
Kayla Abbott also ran a personal record, her 13:17 time earning her seventh place for eighth grade girls and 20th overall in a field of 176 mostly 4A runners. Caleb Grandlinard ran a 13:07 which placed him in the top 25 percent of this competitive pack of middle school boy runners.
Everyone on the team achieved their personal best race, with Shepherd Korth's time of 14:16 and Francesca Ranck's 15:12 placing them in the top 50 percent of their races. Chisana Korth ran her best race of 14:19, earning her 19th place of eighth grade girls.
Glennallen runner Shepherd Korth running hard for a personal best. Photo by Kelly Gerlach.
Other season highlights were Zane winning the ACS and Valdez Invitationals, as well as Kayla placing second at Valdez and in the top 10 at ACS.
With a limited racing season in 2020, the junior high team was happy, not only to be running well but to be running at all. "This season was one of my favorites because we got to go on a lot more trips than we did last year," says Kayla Abbott. "I was just glad to be able to keep up with everyone else," adds first-year runner Caleb Grandlinard.
In addition to finding new places to explore on the way home from Anchorage and enjoying autumn colors while hiking Thompson Pass on the way home from the Valdez meet, some of the older junior high kids traveled by ferry to Cordova to compete with their junior high team.
"The ferry was the best part of the season," says Zane Gerlach, who enjoyed hanging out with the team and even a surprise birthday party on the water.
Capture the flag in the rainforest, volleyball games and a music jam with Cordova students and community members were some other pinnacle moments while on the three-day Cordova trip.
We look forward to creating further adventures, fast times and fun memories with this promising group of young athletes!
Our high school runners had a great season as well! Read more: Glennallen Cross Country Takes Second at State
