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Fancy footwork

| October 5, 2018 1:00 AM

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Fifth-grade girls from local elementary schools from the Coeur d’Alene School District start the one-mile course at the district race at Kootenai County Fairgrounds on Thursday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)

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Ramsey Elementary fifth-grader Saige Lenz sings the national anthem alongside Ramsey Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Scott Busch before the Coeur d’Alene School District Cross-Country Race at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds on Thursday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)

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Sorensen Magnet School fifth-grader Mitchell Rietze crosses the finish line in first place at the Coeur d’Alene School District race Thursday evening at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)

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Bryan Elementary School student Helen Oyler finishes first among the fifth-grade girls at the Coeur d’Alene School District race Thursday evening at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

By DEVIN WEEKS

Staff Writer

COEUR d’ALENE — They stretched their legs, high-fived their neighbors and jogged in place.

And when that race horn blew, waves of elementary students took off like bullets in clouds of dust, letting their feet carry them the mile run of the 29th annual District 271 Cross-Country Race at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

“I like running because it strengthens my feet,” said Bryan Elementary fifth-grader Helen Oyler, who was the first fifth-grade girl to cross the finish line. “I love it.”

Roughly 1,000 second- through fifth-grade students from each of the district’s 11 elementary schools participated in the races Thursday evening as they were cheered on by parents, grandparents, siblings and other loved ones who attended to see their favorite elementary-schoolers beat the clock.

Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities student Mitchell Rietze won the fifth-grade boys race. This was his third year participating in the event.

“I love running,” he said, a little pink in the cheeks and barely winded as he stood with his medal around his neck.

Mitchell said that his favorite part of the day “is that everyone gets to run together.”

The District 271 Cross-Country Race focuses on fitness and team sports while fostering a love of running at an early age.

“It’s pretty amazing,” said cross-country coordinator Heather Montee. “It’s a great event for kids, it really is.”

Montee, who has led cross-country at Bryan for 16 years, said running is a great form of exercise for kids — it’s inexpensive, easy to do and can be done solo or with others.

“Some kids nowadays, in this age, don’t get as much exercise,” she said.

The annual cross-country race also celebrates each kid’s athletic abilities and determination to keep going.

“Everyone is at different levels,” Montee said. “You have some kids running a 6-minute mile, and you have some kids at a 10- to 12-minute mile. Everyone’s different, and to know they’re doing their best and not giving up, that’s the best.”

Coeur d’Alene High School junior and CHS cross-country athlete Jake Beyersdorf volunteered to help pace the races with the kids. He said it was great to see all of the young runners excited to be out there.

“I did this when I was a kid. Not here, I was over in Washington,” he said. “It’s really good for them to get into the sport, I think. There’s just something about it. It’s fun to do. It’s a really good team sport, you bond with each other.”

Montee said results for the races will be sent to The Press for publication early next week.