Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Hollister High juniors Pri Chavez and Andrew Parra raced to their personal best times at the state cross country finals on Nov. 29.
Chavez posted a time of 18:20 and Parra a time of 16:20 at the CIF State Cross Country championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.
“Keep in mind it’s the state championship,” Balers coach Ralph Chavez said. “It’s the best of the best you’re competing against.”
Pri Chavez placed 45th out of 197 runners in the girls Division 1 competition and Parra placed 122nd out of 202 runners in boys Division 1.
Saying she was happy and proud of her time, Pri Chavez noted that she improved her state finals time by nearly a minute after finishing in 19:14 at last year’s finals.
“I paced myself pretty well for the first mile,” she said. “I didn’t get too excited because of the crowd cheering. Running a smart first mile I set myself up for success in the next two miles.”
She said having almost 20 family members and friends cheering her on at the course provided additional motivation.
Ralph Chavez, who is Pri’s uncle, said improving her time by 54 seconds in one year shows she is a dedicated runner who works on her craft all year.
“Not just physical but mental,” he said.
Parra, on his first trip to the state competition, said though he achieved a personal best, he could’ve done better.
“I don’t think I did my best but it was a good learning experience,” he said.
Both runners said racing against a large number of runners at once is a challenge when competing at the state finals.
“It was definitely a mental struggle because I’m used to trying to catch up to the top 10 runners,” Parra said. “This time there were so many that it just messed with me and I was not able to focus on my own race.”
Pri Chavez said it was a struggle to focus on her own pace and breathing when there were so many runners next to her.
“By hearing other runners’ breathing, I wanted to also set my breathing rhythm with them,” she said. “I had to not let others affect how I wanted to run. I had to stay mentally strong.”
Ralph Chavez said the mental aspect of racing is what is most challenging when you have the best runners in the state around you throughout the race.
“The mental aspect is huge,” he said.
Unlike Chavez, who had experience competing at the state finals, the level of competition and course was new to Parra. He said though he had practiced on the course, racing is a different experience.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said.
Parra said he is looking forward to implementing the lessons learned this season into track and then cross country next year.
“I’m thankful for the Lord getting me here and I think it was a great season,” he said.
He said he is already setting up his winter training program and will be joined by his teammates.
Ralph Chavez said both his niece and Parra had great seasons both individually and as team leaders.
“I think it’s more important that they are great teammates,” he said. “They support their teammates and encourage their teammates. To do what they did is motivation for the rest of the team to rise up to another level.”
BenitoLink thanks our underwriter, Hollister Rotary, for helping expand the sports coverage around San Benito County. Rotary is a nonprofit organization that conducts humanitarian projects, encourages high ethical standards, and works toward world understanding. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
You must be logged in to post a comment.