Locals brace for running at elevation

For those teams with championship aspirations this weekend, they’ll have to aim high.

Real high.

Runners at Saturday’s state cross country meets at Kelly Park in Soda Springs will have to endure the 6,000-foot elevation during the meet.

“I haven’t really talked to my kids about it,” Timberlake coach Shawn Lawler said. “I didn’t want it to get in their heads and affect the way they run. When we were there in 2004, we trained very similar and both teams ran real well. We’re pretty well prepared for it.”

Coeur d’Alene Charter coach Lewis Watkins said he’s been telling his runners to remain calm.

“I’ve been telling them not to let the other teams win it in the first mile,” Watkins said. “You’ve got to run smart. That feeling they’ll get about being tired is just the elevation and not that they’re sick or tired. It’s just running at a different altitude.”

Coeur d’Alene senior Kinsey Gomez will attempt to cap her cross country career with a third state 5A title, after also winning her freshman and junior seasons.

“To win a third cross country championship would be incredible,” Gomez said. “It will take a great race that I know I’ve trained all season for.”

The Coeur d’Alene boys are looking for their first state team title after finishing second last year in Worley to Boise.

“I think the kids learned a lot from last year,” Coeur d’Alene coach Cathy Compton said. “Every point counts. The whole season comes down to this weekend. This is where they need to put their efforts into a final race. It’s made them more hungry. Everything they do on the course on Saturday needs to be left there. I think we’re ready.”

3A Timberlake, which won its first state girls team title last year in Worley, graduated only one senior off last year’s team that won by 13 points over Gooding.

“Unlike last year, we’re actually healthy,” Lawler said. “Last year, we had illnesses and injuries. All those negative things haven’t came up this year. We’re happy and healthy right now.”

5A: Gomez spent last weekend in Salt Lake City on an official NCAA recruiting visit to the University of Utah.

“The altitude was great for training and getting a feel for this weekend,” Gomez said.

Boise’s Kate Jamboretz and Rachel Tatko of Eagle are among the other contenders for 5A girls medalist. Boise also won the girls title last year.

“I am just excited for the experience this year,” Gomez said. “Both our guys and girls teams have been phenomenal and should see lots of success at the state meet.”

Alia LaCroix, Rachel Ward and Leanne Asper finished in the top 10 at the Region 1 meet to qualify for the runner-up Lake City Timberwolves. Josie Tennison qualified for Post Falls.

Jonathan Thursfold, Keaton Trom and Shane Salmon finished in the top 10 in the Region 1 meet for the region runner-up Post Falls boys.

3A: Timberlake’s boys, who qualified for their seventh straight state meet, will be a little younger than the rest of the competition on Saturday.

“We’ve got five freshmen on the varsity this season,” Lawler said. “For a group of guys to get to experience a state setting their first year, I’m pretty excited for them.”

Ryan Richardson was Timberlake’s top finisher in the district meet, finishing third, followed by Sam St. Mars in fifth.

Sugar-Salem won the boys championship last year.

2A: Coeur d’Alene Charter will send the District 1-2 champion girls and runner-up boys teams to the state meet.

“It’s been a surprising season,” Watkins said. “We haven’t focused much on the postseason. It was nice to see the kids win a regional title.”

The Charter girls enter the meet ranked fourth according to the idahoxc.com 2A polls.

Those teams ranked ahead Charter include host Soda Springs, Firth and McCall-Donnelly.

“The elevation will be a factor, but fortunately most of those teams ahead of us are from lower elevations, also.”

Sadie Iott, Maddie Iott, Elsa Goodsen and Megan Forster will be counted to score points for the Charter girls.

“Right now, we’re hoping for good things from Sadie and Maddie Iott,” Watkins said. “We saw a great resurgence of the other two. We need a fifth or sixth runner to step up. Sadie has been injured, but she’s a smart person. She’ll figure out a way to get it done.”

Charter freshmen David Conway and Leif Fredericks figure to contend for medals (top-20 finish), Watkins said.

Ry Butler is the lone qualifier for Kootenai.

Soda Springs swept the team titles last year.