The Kamehameha Maui junior varsity cross country team kicked off the start of their season this morning at the Kahului Community Center Park. A handful of eager, young underclassmen came out to represent the school.

This year, the season started with a relay race, which was new. The change-up allowed the underclassmen to ease into the season by running on one of four 1.5 mile legs rather than the usual 3 miles of a traditional cross country meet.

The runners were able to run at a higher intensity than they normally would, and the results showed promise. The runners said they were generally pleased with meet.

Head Coach Jon Svenson said, “They did well, it’s the beginning of the season, and it’s fun. Our goal is to do well in the end. We had good surprises today, even though not all of them ran.”

The different format also worked out well since many schools lost at least two days of training when school activities were canceled for two days ahead of Tropical Storm Iselle.

“We felt that they needed more preparation,” Mr. Svenson said.

The results of the low-key race do not count toward official times, so student athletes should have felt at ease, but the first time playing any sport has to be nerve-wracking.

“It was bogs, and I was really nervous throughout the race,” freshman Lily Gavagan said. “I think that the end was the hardest part. Everyone is sprinting hard and is coming right behind you. Downhill was the easiest.”

Sophomore second-year runner Andrew Amaral could appreciate the goal of the relay.

“It was much easier than the usual three miles,” he said. “I think that we have a good team. But it’s still sad not to have Avi [Singh (’14)] and Rachel [Smith (’14)] with us.”

All of the coaches and runners could agree with Amaral’s goal for the season. “My personal goal is to improve my time on my next race,” he said.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Photo by Alyssa Urayanza

JV runner Kaili Helekahi-Fuata crosses the finish line at the first cross country meet of the Maui Interscholastic League season, August 23, 2014, at Kahului Community Center.