Her legs are numb as she sprints through the final stretch of the course. Four years of pain, sweat and determination have led to this moment. Breaking her personal record by running the Gans Creek course in 18 minutes and 46 seconds, Katie Klein, senior, placed 23rd at the 2024 Missouri state cross country meet.
The KHS girls cross country team attended state in Columbia, Missouri this year, with Klein placing and earning a medal for the team. It had been a goal of hers to finish a race in less than 19 minutes, and this year, she did.
“I was so happy and excited because I could see the clock [reading] that I was going to be under 19 [minutes],” Klein said. “I was [ecstatic] it was over and that I had done what I wanted to do.”
Klein and the team believe in order to meet their goals at the end of the season, they need to start preparing from day one. She said the runners aim to be at their peak performance by November, when the state meet comes around.
“Most of the preparation was the hard workouts and long runs we did in August, September and October,” Klein said. “Over the past couple of weeks [before state], we’ve done shorter workouts, runs and mileage.”
Before a team can go to state, they must succeed in districts. Calpurnia Durnin, senior, said the girls cross country team was initially ranked fifth in their district, but only the top four teams advance to state each year.
“Districts this year was really competitive for us,” Durnin said. “[In the end], it was really great for us to make it through [them] as a team.”
Durnin said her fourth and final time at state this year was very exciting. She said it is a lively event on and off the course.
“We play music, tinsel each other’s hair, watch movies and get food together as a team,” Durnin said. “[We hang] out with each other a lot. It’s always fun going as a team and getting to race in a competitive field like [state] every year.”
Gina Woodard, health teacher and girls cross country coach, said preparing a team physically is only half of what it takes to make a great athlete. She said runners also need mental support from their coaches in order to reach their highest capabilities.
“[We tell them] we believe in you, you got this, don’t run fearfully, be brave and you can do this.”
Woodard said she wants individual runners to know that reaching the state level is possible. She said it takes a healthy balance of hope and action.
“It’s cliché, but it all does start with a single step,” Woodard said. “I think that it’s a lie to say, ‘if you dream it, you can achieve it.’ No, you need to get up and start running.”
