Truth of runners’ slogans is found in competition

THE PLAINS One of the best things about the state cross country meet is the reading list.

On the back of sweatshirts and T-shirts are slogans, some inspirational, some blunt.

There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.

Anyone can put a slogan on the back of a shirt. Runners tend to believe what they wear.

If you are running, the best thing about the state cross country meet is winning.

Yesterday in the boys Group AAA meet, Ben DeJarnette of Atlee had the look of a winner with 600 yards to go. He had opened a gap on Thomas Porter of Mountain View on the final downhill, and DeJarnette is a strong finisher.

Porter surged. DeJarnette held him off. Porter surged again, and this time, DeJarnette could not respond.

Porter won. DeJarnette was second.

"Great kick," DeJarnette said. "He's always tough to beat."

The great thing about high school cross country is that there is a clear winner yet no clear losers.

A common question you will hear posed to runners after the race is, "Did you get a PR [per sonal record]? Great."

"It's great competition," Porter said of his ongoing duel with DeJarnette. "He's a great guy, a really nice guy. That's the kind of guy I like to race."

All the little things add up to be big things in the end. If you did all the little things, then you are ready.

One of the things worth seeing at the state cross country meet is the runners at the starting line.

They crouch as they wait for the starter's gun. Determination is etched on their faces. Anticipation is evident as their bodies tense and lean forward.

They have arrived there after months and miles of training runs, early in the morning, in the heat of the afternoon and in the dark of night.

The difficult thing about the state cross country meet is a result that is less than what you hoped.

"There's definitely some disappointment," DeJarnette said of finishing second. "I was confident I was in good enough shape to win. You look back, and you think you pretty much did everything you set out to do, you just ran into a better athlete. That was the case today."

Catch the person in front of you. Stay in front of the person behind you. Beat the shadow next to you.

Yesterday's race took place at Great Meadow, a horse park situated in a little bowl of land surrounded by gently rolling hills. The surrounding forest was in full fall color.

It was a beautiful day and setting, at least for the spectators. For the runners, it was just north of too warm to comfortably cover 3.1 miles at race pace.

Runners have no control over the weather. What they can control is how they approach each race and what they do once the competition begins.

If you can't win, finish high. If you can't finish high, finish. If you can't finish, don't start.

DeJarnette does not run as if he has any doubt he will finish. He attacks the course and challenges his competitors. He runs fearlessly.

A year ago, DeJarnette finished 16th in the state meet, though he did not feel 100 percent. He didn't know it at the time, in fact it wasn't discovered until January, that he had an intestinal parasite that was sapping his energy.

And he still finished 16th.

"It's great to be healthy and know I have a chance at the start line," he said.

Rare is the runner who steps to the starting line without a nagging bit of doubt. He wonders how he will run. He worries that maybe this is the race he will not finish.

True victory is victory over one's self.

"In the past, I was afraid of losing," DeJarnette said. "Not anymore. Now I think I realize it is just a race. There will be more races.

"No matter how nervous or pumped up or excited I get before a race, it's one foot in front of the other once the gun goes off. I think I've done a lot better job staying calm before races, and understanding that if I'm in shape to win, I'll win."

Practically every runner who finished behind Porter yesterday is willing to move on to the next training run and the next race.

That's the best thing about the state cross country meet.
Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or .