A member of R.F. Staples cross country running team managed to crack the Top 30 at the 2016 ASAA Cross Country Provincials in Cochrane Oct. 15.
The team’s top finisher, Nathanael Tabert, placed 23rd out of 103 runners in the senior boys race in a time of 20:36.
“You are literally competing against the whole province,” said coach Perry Kulmatyski. “He had a heck of a run and battled hard for that.”
The team brought nine runners to the event — three senior girls, three intermediate girls and three senior boys.
“They ran their butts off and it was a really good weekend,” he said.
The other two senior boys placed 99th and 100th on the six-kilometre track. The girls ran a four-kilometre track, with intermediate girls placing around the 25-minute mark in 97, 98 and 101th. The senior girls secured the 70, 96, and 106th spots.
Regardless of their placements, Kulmatyski said he was proud of all the runners.
“My message to them was go out, challenge yourself, compete as hard as you can and leave it all out there and be proud of yourselves to do that, whatever your place is.
“And I said to them, ‘We’re here. We made this bus ride here so you can challenge yourself mentally and physically. Those kind of things make you stronger.’
“Running is one of those life-long sports from a wellness standpoint. I don’t focus as much on the competitive side, but more on the idea of come out and be active.
“We’re there to best ourselves and be proud of where we finish.”
The weekend before, the team had an impressive showing at the North Central Zone championships in Edson Oct. 8.
The nine runners placed within the Top 18 at the zones, which qualified them for provincials.
Once again, Tabert was the top finisher, claiming gold in the senior boys race.
Kulmatyski explained that most of his team uses cross-country running as a training program for other sports, which makes the team’s showing more impressive.
“In the big 40 schools, you have specialized runners,” he said. “Most of our runners are running for the social aspect and doing the cross training for the other sports they’re doing. Most of them aren’t specialized runners.”
He added that the team’s more generalized approach didn’t seem to hinder them in competition, although facing strict runners was a bit of an adjustment.
“When we go to provincials, it’s a bit of an eye opener,” he said. “Most of the elite athletes there are specialized runners, and that’s a little unusual for most of our smaller schools. Still, it’s a great experience for them.”
In preparation for zones, the team ran twice a week, although many got in extra practice.
“We did an eight-kilometre run around Thunder Lake, we did a city run where we did an eight kilometres through the river valley,” he noted.
“So we’ve ran few team races and runs, and then the rest is up to them.”
With most of his runners graduating this year, Kulmatyski said he was focusing on bringing in the next crop of runners and teaching them a fun hobby to keep in shape.
“Come and run,” he said. “It’s what you can do for the rest of your life.”
