National Cathedral junior Page Lester doesn't "necessarily train every day," at least not specifically for cross-country. Instead, the triathlete puts most of her work in under water or on two wheels.
Lester’s conditioning was on full display Saturday at the D.C. State Athletic Association cross-country championships through the flat, 3.1-mile course at Kenilworth-Parkside Recreation Center in Northeast Washington.
Georgetown Visitation freshman Megan Lynch was close on Lester's heels at the one-mile mark, but Lester shifted gears and built her lead to a full minute by the time she crossed the finish line in 18:12 to win the girls' title.
“I tried to take out the first mile not conservatively, but just controlled,” Lester said. “That way I could feel like I could make a good split in the second half, which is a much more pleasant way to run.
“I would rather have a stronger back half than like kill myself on the first half and then hang on. In the past, I’ve gone out way too fast, so my coach just suggested I go out a little bit slower and see what happens, and it’s worked well for me.”
Lynch finished second in 19:12 to lead the Cubs to the girls' team title with 48 points. Wilson (76) and Georgetown Day (76) finished second and third, respectively, with the Tigers winning the tiebreaker.
Gonzaga senior Harry Monroe won his first cross-country race at the WCAC championships last weekend and followed it up Saturday by powering through the course in 16:10 to clinch his second title in as many races.
“Two in row – incredible,” Monroe said. “I’m really psyched right now.”
Monroe’s day got even better when the Eagles came through to win as a team with 33 points after a couple of close second-place finishes heading into the race left a bad taste in their mouths.
“We had a pretty good open season,” Monroe said. “I think we won the first three races, and then we got second at Glory Days [Invitational] and second at WCAC’s, so we were definitely trying to bounce back into first.”
Monroe's junior teammate John Colucci was next to cross in 16:49, and Georgetown Day senior Josh Shelton (16:54) rounded out the top three. Sidwell Friends (57) finished second among teams, followed by Georgetown Day (99) in third.
