Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) Elecs cross country runner Justin Hertes continued his climb up the leaderboard at provincials last weekend.
Hertes finished 25th in the five-kilometre Junior Boys Final at the 2016 Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA) Provincial Cross Country Championships in Delisle on Oct. 15 with a time of 20:33. The placing was a massive improvement for the Grade 10 athlete who finished 56th in the four-kilometre Midget Boys Final with a time of 18:02 at the SHSAA provincial championships in Saskatoon last fall.
“I feel like I did pretty good,” said Hertes, 15. “That's a big increase in position and I even ran farther, so it was a good race.”
Hertes credits his showing to regularly attending the Elecs cross country practices from Monday to Thursday during the first two months of the school year as well as competing at the three mini-meets that different schools in Estevan hosted at various locations around the city during the month of September. He said those meets were the only race situations he had an opportunity to compete in before provincials, due to the district championships being cancelled because of poor weather earlier this month, and they were instrumental in helping him prepare for the SHSAA Championships.
“They helped me get my pace and distance down,” he said. “And (it was good) running on different terrain because we only practise on the track by the school, so you can't really tell what the ground is going to be like.”
Due to assigned placing at the start of the provincial Junior Boys Final, Hertes began the race at the back of the pack. He said a sprint off the start coupled with a battle through the traffic in front of him helped him gain a good spot and from there he managed to hold on.
“Everyone else tries to get a good start (too), so it kind of evens out and over time you'll catch your breath because you're getting that steady pace. After you can easily go back to your pace and keep going.”
Hertes said he has participated in cross country since Grade 4 or 5 and continually goes back to it each year because of a love of running and the joy of competing in an individual sport where the only thing an athlete has to worry about is their own effort. He said the hope is the work he's put in and will continue to carry out will help him move even further up the standings in future years.
“If I gained 30 positions this past year and I could gain 20 I'll be fifth maybe next year,” said Hertes. “I'm just trying to make my way up to the top 10.”
Area athletes competing at provincials and their results are: Leah Macfarlane, Carnduff, midget girls, 10th; Katie Weinrauch, Lampman, midget girls, 57th; Jessica Magotiaux, Redvers, midget girls, 64th; Madison Greenwood, Lampman, midget girls 97th; Evan James, Redvers, midget boys, 46th; Peyton Stewart, Redvers, midget boys, 81st; Kameron Martin, Redvers, midget boys, 84th; Katie Culbertson, Redvers, junior girls, 26th; Katie Greenwood, Lampman, junior girls, 37th; Bradon Zieglgansberger, Midale, junior boys, 49th; Christian Prawdzik, Midale, junior boys, 69th; Trent Reiscke, Oxbow, junior boys, 72nd; Emily Lacy, Oxbow, senior girls, 38th; Becky Aulie, Redvers, senior girls, 81st; Sydney LaBelle, Carnduff, senior girls, 83rd; and Paige Hutton, Redvers, senior girls, 90th.
