Kosciusko sophomore Emma Rhodes sometimes experiences the loneliness of the long-distance runner, and for good reason. She is literally a one-girl team as the only runner on the Lady Whippets’ cross-country team.
“It’s a mental struggle because I run with the guys (in practice) and most of them have a faster pace. So, I’m on my own,” she told The Star-Herald. “It’s kind of hard being by myself on the longer runs. There’s no one to talk to. It’s kind of boring. But I’m going to push through.”
Rhodes competed in a one-day mega meet last Saturday at Choctaw Trails, site of the state meet. There were 1,475 runners from nearly 100 schools in three states competing in eight races. By comparison, last year’s state meet had 917 runners over two days.
In her race, Rhodes finished 90th out of 242 runners with a time of 23:53.72 for 5,000 meters (3.1 miles).
“It wasn’t my best time, but the course is tough,” she said of her performance.
Her goal is to better 23 minutes at the state meet Nov. 6. In last year’s meet, her time was 24:03.5.
Kosciusko junior Jorge Orduna was 21st of 301 runners in a boys’ race with a school record time of 17:58.57. His goal is to finish in the top 10 at the state meet. He was 24th last year with a time of 18:44.75 and feels the experience of running at Choctaw Trails will be beneficial.
“We ran it last year, but I forgot some parts. There are some bumps that I did not watch out for,” he said. “When the state comes, I’m going to be prepared for them.”
The day’s best times were 15:37.73 by Keegan Leverett of St. Stanislaus for boys and 18:32.1 by Ella Chesnut of Vanderbilt Catholic of Louisiana for girls.
