Unusual relay starts cross country season
Photo by Alyssa Urayanza
Senior Mia Czerwinski hands off to junior, Mckenna Chaney in the girls varsity cross country relay, April 23 at Kaului Community Center park. This was the first and only relay-style cross country event for the 2014-15 season.
August 24, 2014
There are no official results for the first Maui Interscholastic League cross country meet this year. As an introduction to the new season, the MIL runners participated in something new–a relay race.
In a standard meet, each runner must run a distance of 3 miles with the girls running first followed by the boys; however, in the relay race, runners are put into teams of 4 and each athlete runs a distance of 1 1/2 miles for a total team distance of 6 miles.
The relay starts with the first runner running a leg that is half the distance of the regular course. That runner could then hand off a baton to or slap hands with the next runner who then takes a turn running his or her part, and so on until all four team members cross the finish line. Students could also run one lap around the course as a solo runner.
Richard “Ikaika” Renaud finished his 1 1/2 miles with a time of eight minutes and fifty-three seconds, the fastest time from the varsity boy runners at Kamehameha Schools Maui.
The fastest varsity girls time was eleven minutes and fifty seconds, run by senior Brandy Takiguchi.
The KSM combined varsity and junior varsity teams sent two teams in each of the boys and girls races, and there were also two solo boy runners.
“I think it went well,” junior McKenna Chaney said. “Everyone liked it because it was shorter than 3 miles. Itʻs better because it is only a mile and a half…and itʻs just over quick.”
The MIL will be evaluating whether or not the relay will be back next year. In the meantime, starting next week, the runners will go back to running the standard meet.
On this year’s girls varsity team are seniors Takiguchi, Mia Czerwinski, Tynell Ornellas, and Jessica Mendiola and juniors Keely Lindsey, Mckenna Chaney and Erin Lim.
On the boys varsity team are seniors Keoni Frampton, Joshua Higa and Kiaku Naeole and Renaud, a junior.
“I think we have the potential to be MIL champs, potentially. But thereʻs some other good teams out there. We could be anywhere from first to fourth, it just depends on how hungry they get. How much they really want it,” said head coach Jon Svenson.
