Charlotte – Getting off of the starting line quickly at any cross country meet is difficult.
Runners are packed in at the starting line elbow-to-elbow, jostling for position and as soon as the starting gun fires off, a mad dash for the front of the pack is underway.
When the field is more than 400 runners, including many of the fastest high schoolers from Texas to Florida, the difficulty of the race is multiplied by tenfold.
That is what the small contingent of area runners who made the trip to Charlotte to compete in the Foot Locker South Regional found out at their first large cross country meet, including Murphy’s Caleb Jones and Chase Pierce and Tri-County’s Sydney Bolyard.
“It was hectic,” Pierce said of the race’s start. “Whenever the race first started out a bunch of people fell and we had to go back. It was a very narrow race and there was no where for you to go if you got stuck behind a slower pack.”
Unaccustomed to the sprint start of the larger meets, Pierce and Jones fell behind at the start and found themselves stuck behind packs of slower runners blocking the path in front of them on the course.
“It was a slow race because we got stuck behind the people who usually sprint out off of the line,” Jones explained. “We got a slow pace going and didn’t really hit the times that we wanted to.”
Jones finished 163rd out of the field of 403 competitors in the boys race with a time of 16:44, while Pierce crossed the line in 235th with a time of 17:14.
“That was the only downfall of the whole race,” Murphy boys cross country coach Davis Bryant said of the boy’s start to the race. “I mean they hit their splits, they did everything they could and so its just good hard work for them.”
With the cross country season wrapped up, the two distance runners now switch over to track with the “winter track and field” season underway.
While the duo did not end up hitting the times they wanted at the Foot Locker South Regional, both expressed the desire to compete at another large meet, with the experience and know-how to sprint into the lead pack off of the starting line.
“It was a great season and a great start to what may come next year,” Jones said. “It (the Foot Locker South Regional) was a really fun experience getting to see all the people that were there and being able to race against some people who were truly fast.”
“I want to go to more bigger races like that,” Pierce added. “If you can get up there with those people who run faster than you, it can help you PR and run better.”
In the girl’s competition, Tri-County’s stand-out Sydney Bolyard represented the Tigers among the field of nearly 200 runners.
The senior finished 130th with a time of 19:45 at McAlpine Park.
Bolyard said that despite the race being the largest she had ever competed in, she was not too nervous before the competition.
“Surprisingly, I wasn’t too nervous,” Bolyard explained. “It was a great opportunity for me to race at a meet outside of the regular season and really push myself.”
Like with Jones and Pierce, the starting section of the race left quite the impression on Bolyard, despite the senior not being able to recall too much from the opening mile.
“I don’t really remember the first mile of the race because all I could hear was a stampede of girls around me,” Bolyard said.
The race closes the chapter on Bolyard’s cross country career with Tri-County and the senior expressed that she is very grateful for all who helped her during her four seasons, including Tri-County cross country coach Josh Crayton.
“When I think about this season — every meet, time, competition, practice and opportunity, all of those things I am very grateful for. But there are so many things that don’t receive enough recognition,” Bolyard said. “My coach, Josh Crayton, has spent more time than any of us see to lead our entire team to success. He is the exact reason why every member had such a blast this year and that’s something none of us will ever forget. The team, their dedication, all of our parents and their constant support —- thats why this sport is so meaningful.
“It’s not just the times or the results. If anyone that reads this article were to take away one thing, I’d want it to be that this season, and my entire four years running cross country here, would be nothing without the people around me making it happen every day. I really cannot express how thankful I am.”