On Oct. 27, the Hawai’i High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) cross-country state championships was held at Patsy T. Mink Central O’ahu Regional Park. The students that participated in the event came from schools all across the island. The boys varsity team came in eighth place and the girls varsity team came in sixteenth place out of their division, Division 1 (D1). MHS although unable to win states, have high hopes for the next cross-country season.

     “We just learned to never give up. With or without teammates to push you along, just keep moving, keep breathing. This helps you finish the race,” said boys varsity captain Senior Azriel Burcham.

     Burcham, although unable to make it to states, is satisfied with his placing of eighty-nine at the Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) Championships. Burcham was present at the championships to support his teammates. “The race was hard as always, but the camaraderie was great, even between teams,” said Burcham. Teammate Sophomore Kale Glunt added, “This season our team was better in my opinion. We worked together and we had a lot more team bondings. Getting to know each other better.  Doing this we had our team to support each other while running. So we all ran our own race doing well.”

     Glunt came in twenty-eighth place at the championships, and came in second place out of the MHS cross country team. He prepared by training five to six times a week, running and exercising to build his cardio. “I thought it went pretty well. It was my first state meet. And it was one to remember. Our team placed better than I expected and I was satisfied team wise,” said Glunt.

     In the championships, the cross-country teams were faced with many challenges. Whether it be at the HHSAA or throughout the whole season, these challenges played a key role in how the teams would perform. “I’ve been really sick, throwing up whenever I push a little too hard. But it doesn’t phase me. I had a good time running here at MHS,” said Burcham. Glunt added, “One major challenge at states was the pain. Also the mass amount of people. I almost fell down several times in the beginning because of all the shoving. One major challenge in the season was balancing out my academics with running.”

     With the cross-country season coming to an end, most of the runners are starting to prepare for the track season. The cross-country season has given students the opportunity to run competitively, as a team. “Now that cross-country is over, I am training for the Honolulu marathon.  I hope to be a cross-country coach, so I can keep giving back to the community while having fun,” said Burcham. Glunt added, “My future plans for cross-country is to eventually win states my senior year. This a realistic goal, with the right amount of training. My future plan for running is to run fast enough to run D1 in college.”

     Even though the MHS cross-country team didn’t win states, the runners on the team have learned the lesson of teamwork and persistence. Coach Nathan Aragaki added, “I’m looking forward to it (next cross-country season). They know what hard work is now and what they have to do to improve. With their experience, I think things will be even better next year.”

     With the cross-country season coming to an end, most of the runners on the team are preparing to run in the upcoming track season starting around February and March.