Glacier Bears runners push through challenges to finish season strong at state in Palmer
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Glacier Bears at state in Palmer. Photo courtesy of Ashlyn Ganey.
Glacier Bears runners braved long travel days and illness to finish their season at state championships in Palmer on Saturday, Oct. 7.
As they have been for most of the season, the Bears were led by junior Ari'el Godinez Long, who clinched third place in the girls Division III 5-kilometer race with a time of 20:40. Her finish narrowly bested her time in last year's state championships in Anchorage, where she finished second and led Haines to a state championship title.
There was no state championship this year, as the girls' team didn't field a full squad of five runners. Camelia Bell finished in 52nd, Ashlynn Ganey in 76th and Raven Hotch in 77th.
The boys were led by Colin Aldassy, who finished in 23rd place in 20:01. JC Davis was 29th, TJ Smith 41st, Alex Weerasinghe in 53rd and Will Davis in 61st out of 80 runners. The team effort put them in fifth place out of six teams, despite missing their top finisher in previous meets, Andrew Hansen, who was out sick.
This year, runners faced cold temperatures that dipped into the 30s and heavy fog on race day. Runners had to adapt to the cold, with some wearing layers under their uniforms, and Godinez Long even running in a hat and gloves.
"All of them said it was really cold and they had a hard time breathing and pushing themselves," said head coach Katie Russell.
Russell said the weather wasn't the only challenge her team faced.
"They were all dealing with various levels of sickness and injuries, and you're dealing with the cold on top of all that, so it was a tough race," she said.
The Glacier Bears braved bad weather even before the race during their two-day van drive to Southcentral. Going through the pass from Haines and near the border, the team encountered snow and ice on the road. After 15 hours of driving they arrived at Palmer High School to preview the course, which Russell described as a fairly flat course with small hills scattered throughout.
The team got to visit some big-city attractions, including the running shoe store Skinny Raven, the Fifth Avenue Mall, and Olive Garden restaurant.
Russell said overall, she was "really proud" of the team's resilience and commitment this year despite the challenges.
