The annual Darby Dash is here, and the Fairbanks Panthers are relishing the shorter two mile course, as opposed to the typical 3.1 miles that they have to run at competitions. As the regular season winds down, this is a great opportunity for the Panthers to get some competitive conditioning in. According to Coach Van Winkle, “Running a two miler right now is great for our athletes, some of whom are still recovering from this past weekend’s Nike XC Town Twilight. It gives the kids a chance to refocus after running a bunch of 5Ks and it gives them a long weekend so that they’ll have fresh legs at conference next week. Sometimes people put way too much emphasis on the last week before conference. That is not the point in the season to freak out. On my trip to Tibet, a monk once told me not to worry at the end of the season, but to be happy. You can achieve true zen through meditation and by throwing frisbees as a warm-up. It’s definitely October and the days are getting shorter and there’s ghouls and goblins in the air. Our athletes are almost ready to achieve true enlightenment, when their legs will detach from their bodies and they’ll exist in all the objects around us, re-materializing at the finish. String theory.” Coach Van Winkle then began speaking in tongues and what he said was lost on this reporter. With some lingering injuries from the Powder Puff football game, the Lady Panthers were short-handed, but were still able to field a strong team.
And then it was time to race. The girls, minus state qualifiers Rachael Hoover and Mara Vicari, stood at the line and waited for the gun to go POW! And then it did; and they were off. Led by freshman Sadie Miller, the girls went out at a brisk pace, knowing that they could put a little extra speed into this two mile course. Before too long, the girls were emerging from the woods and winding their way to the finish line. Full results for the girls are below:
Sadie Miller—19th—13:12
Meredith Reinhard—45th—14:43
Hannah Niehaus—46th—14:46
Elizabeth Phillipo—47th—14:50
Izzy Miller—59th—16:49
“The course was very flat and kind of boring. It was kind of forgettable to tell you the truth. But I’m glad it was just two miles, because mentally, I just don’t think I could handle a 5K right now,” said sophomore Elizabeth Phillipo.
Next up were the boys, who were at near full strength. The crowd lined up for the opening straightaway, the judges reviewed the rules, and before you knew it, the gun sounded POW! And they were off. Zeke Gingerich immediately established himself as one of the top area runners, but the Division 1 competition would prove to be a lot for the Panthers to handle. Full results for the boys are below:
Zeke Gingerich—41st—11:02
Bryce Nisly—68th—12:05
JJ Miehls—69th—12:06
Nicholas Johnson—71st—12:23
Elton Bailey—79th—12:46
Daniel Thomas—85th—13:06
Brady Adams—97th—15:06
Leo Bosworth—98th—15:13
“There were some freaks out there,” said freshman Elton Bailey. “I can’t wait for conference so that we can actually run against guys that come from small schools like Fairbanks. These D1 schools can be a bit intimidating, but I’m not scared. Actually, right now I feel great, namely because I did so well on my Romeo and Juliet test in English class.” Freshman Daniel “DT” Thomas was quick to interject, “YOU think YOU did well?” And then he started laughing maniacally. Zeke Gingerich felt exhausted at the end of the race. “It’s exactly like I felt at Regionals last year. You get out all fast, but then your legs just go dead.”
Next up for the Panthers is the conference meet, when they’ll have to put it all on the line. “Yeah, next week is going to be huge, but we’re going to be healthy, rested, and ready to make the post-season push,” said Coach Van Winkle.