A bonding experience
Left to right: Molly Christison, Cate Maxson, Ashley Meagher, Lyndsey Abt, Rachel Wysocki, Kayla Richardson, Laura Thomas, Mia Yerton. Photo by Emma Notario.
The day dawned bright and cold at Lents Park. The trees showed hints of red and gold. The musty smell of wet grass hung in the air. Fall was here, and with it Cross-Country season.
The women’s race started at 9:00. With nine athletes toeing the line, Rose City turned out its biggest women’s team since Pier Park in 2018.
The team got out well, with Kayla Richardson and Erica Doering taking position at the front of the field and Mia Yerton not far behind them. Cate Maxson, showing up for the team despite battling illness, rounded out the scoring four. Laura Thomas, Rachel Wysocki, Ashley Meagher, and Molly Christison formed a pack early on and worked together throughout the race.
Fast off the line: Lyndsey Abt, Kayla Richardson, and Erica Doering run on the heels of Bowerman Track Club’s Carrie Dimoff at the start of the race. Photo by Izzy Berenson.
Molly was excited to have a Cross-Country race in her neighborhood, the first Stumptown Race at Lents since 2019. Molly says, “Lents went better than I expected! I was able to hang on to Rachel, LT and Ashley for the first mile, which is something I've never been able to do before. It's been quite a while since I've raced a 5k of any kind, so I had no pacing strategy other than ‘don't quit mentally.’ Overall I didn't hate it, which is pretty good for me when it comes to XC. 😂”
Rachel and LT finished a few seconds apart, with Rachel taking the lead 80 m from the finish line. Rachel says, “I will share how much I appreciated racing with LT! As a long-time training partner, it is super fun to work off of each other in a race environment and help keep each other accountable and running strong, as demonstrated by us constantly leapfrogging each-other throughout the race. I also loved the camaraderie of our growing XC team and how it feels like such a bonding experience to go through the whole fall series together, even when you're in entirely different training groups.”
Mia spent her race in a duel with Red Lizard’s Megan Taylor, ultimately finishing a place behind Megan. Mia says, “[I]t’s fun to see the same people out each time from all the teams so that you can know where you fit in and set up a personal goal with who to stay with.” Mia and Megan’s rematch at Blue Lake is sure to be exciting.
Ashley Meagher, Molly Christison, Rachel Wysocki, and Laura Thomas work together in the first mile of the race. Photo by Izzy Berenson.
Erica finished ninth in the meet, making a strong move around Red Lizard’s Emmy Lindsey with a half mile to go, building a lead of almost ten seconds between there and the finish. Erica says, “I rolled my bad ankle about 600 meters in and was pretty cautious throughout the rest of the race. I also made the mistake of looking back at some of my past 5k XC race times after the race. After wallowing in some minor despair for a few days, it hit me that it is so freaking cool that we had such a great group of folks out running, and how cool is it that I have the opportunity to still be running XC at the age of 35! So I did some research on XC spikes and bought a pair, and I am pumped for our next race.”
Kayla finished sixth, running a strong race where she lost just one place between the beginning and the end. Kayla says:
[I]t was just so cool to feel the energy of cross country again after five years. It’s so distinct from track. You’re acutely aware that everyone on the team is running the exact same course as you, putting themselves through the same kind of pain as you, and that drives you to give even more in return….
The race really set the bar for the next couple of meets. Which is another part I really love about cross country. You get an opportunity every two weeks to take what went well and build off of that (or take didn’t go well and have a shot at redemption). And every two weeks you get to line up with the same folks! It begins to feel more and more like a cohesive unit.
The Rose City women’s team were runners-up to Red Lizard again, 38 points to the Lizards’ 12. Rose City’s W/L record for the season stands at 3-2.
The men’s race started at 9:40. Harry Holzgang had a breakout race, running 19:32.3, dropping almost two minutes of the time he ran at Gabriel Park. Harry says, “Lents was a fun course and [I] had a good race, having paced better than previous cross country races. I’m enjoying having the series along with some additional short races this season as you really get a lot of learning opportunities racing consecutively.”
The dynamic duo of Ryan Misjan and Alex Kurt worked together throughout the race, and finished close together once again. Ryan in 18:20.9, Alex in 18:12.7. Alex says, “Lents marked the first time since 2015 I've worn spikes, and my shins and calves emerged intact. A smashing success.” It was a season’s best for Alex and #8 all-time for Rose City.
Cameron Peshon was first through the line for Rose City, running 17:06.7 in his Cross-Country debut. Cameron says, “[I]t was a difficult transition from the roads to XC, but it was a fun challenge. The race didn't go how I had hoped, but it was a great experience having strong team support and embracing the team scoring aspect that takes a larger role in cross country.” Cameron’s performance is #4 all-time for Rose City.
Cameron Peshon in repose after his first Cross-Country race. Photo by Izzy Berenson.
The overall winner of the race was Alden Roy, who would officially join Rose City a few days later. Alden says, “[I]t was some great tactical practice on a deceivingly difficult course, so I was thrilled to get the win, especially with my family cheering me on!” Alden’s winning time of 16:03.9 is faster than Rose City’s team record. It will be exciting to see what he can do when he dons the gold singlet for the first time in the coming weeks.
In the team score, the men’s team finished third with 38 points. Jacuzzi Boys Athletic Club had 28 points and Team Red Lizard had 17.
The athletes at Lents embraced Cross-Country’s unique opportunities, to race as a team, to race in a season, to test oneself week after week against the same competition. As Kayla put it, “Lents was excellent. If this was only the season opener for me, I’m so excited to see where things go. Not just for my own personal goals, but to see the team grow (grow closer AND larger in size as I campaign for more people to join, hopefully!!).”
Results: Women’s 5k | Men’s 5k
Left to right: Cameron Peshon, Alex Kurt, Ryan Misjan, Harry Holzgang, and Karl Dickman kick it down to the finish line. Photos by Izzy Berenson.