Faulkender Places At State Cross-Country
Jake Faulkender traveled to Wamego Country Club with his coach, Amber Faulkender, and family to compete at the state meet. There were three classifications and six races at this state location. Faulkender said he was, “shocked mostly by how big of an event it was.” Cross country is the only sport that allows spectators to be on the same field as the competitors and on this level the supporters flocked from point to point in the course. The 1A boys started the day of races at ten before the sun and humidity rose.
Faulkender toed the line in a field of 91 and had to go out hard to avoid getting boxed in. Faulkender knew that he needed to position himself in the top twenty from the start, and quickly moved ahead in the first half mile. As the spectators watched, Faulkender raced up and down hills and around trees winding himself back to the finish line. He found himself as high as 15th place in mile two. The last 400 meters was a foot race again, and Faulkender crossed the line in 18:30.8 and earned 17th place. The top twenty finishers received medals during the award ceremony.
When asked what his favorite part of his season was he said, “My favorite part had to be state and how friendly all the other runners are.” In just a short season he was able to meet runners from around the state and make friends with coaches, parents, and runners from other towns.
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