WAMEGO — Kohl Endicott didn’t finish where he wanted to at the Class 4A State Cross Country Meet on Saturday, placing 62nd out of 106 runners. He ran the 5-kilometer course in 18 minutes and 15 seconds — a great time in Pioneer League Meets.
“We both expected a better time and a better place,” coach Marv Smith said. “But, this is a ‘one-time race’ and you have to make the best of the circumstances on that day.”
At the beginning of the race, a tight U-turn around one of the golf greens forced the runners to make a mad dash to get into a good position. Endicott was pushed into the middle of the pack. There were so many runners making the turn that the race turned into a walk until everyone was around the turn.
“The next mile is a switchback of long hills. Kohl had to try to get back into a better position on the steepest part of the course,” Smith said. “That really takes your legs away from you in the last stages of the race.”
The temperature was 22 degrees when Smith left the hotel in Manhattan at 8 a.m. Saturday. Smith said Endicott’s only complaint about the cold was that his teeth hurt once he started breathing through his mouth during the race.
Smith said Endicott had a dream season, but would like a do-over on the course with a different starting set-up, where he could better negotiate that U-turn.
Endicott finishes high school career at state meet
