Runners on the Sedona Red Rock High School Cross Country team got a somewhat unusual experience at its most recent meet — racing under the lights.
The Scorpions were one of many teams who participated in The Phoenix Classic — Showdown at Sundown on Friday, Oct. 4. While this wasn’t the first time that SRRHS has raced at night, it is a vastly different experience from what the runners are normally used to.
“It was great, actually; It’s a totally different environment,” sophomore Caleb Moyer said. “You feel a weird sense of adrenaline. During the day you can see everything around you. But during the night you’re only focused on what’s ahead of you, the people around you and the course you’re on.”
Fellow sophomore Brandon Arias similarly enjoyed the experience.
“It’s a bit fresher than during the day,” he said. “You feel more relaxed as you sprint through the lights. I wasn’t as stressed about finishing earlier.”
While Arias wasn’t as stressed about finishing earlier, it didn’t show in his time. Despite suffering a brief injury during the run, Arias finished in 19:11. Not only did that make him the top SRRHS finisher, but it was his best time of the year.
Personal bests were a common theme for the Scorpions at the Phoenix Classic. Between the boys and the girls teams, 14 runners ran. All but one of them ran a personal best time and frequently by significant margins.
Following Arias on the boys side were Carlos Villegas (20:06), Jack Pierce (20:11) and Octavio Prieto (20:35). Additionally, Elijah Baldwin (21:27) improved on his best time by more than three minutes while Dylan Rodgers (24:36) was nearly four minutes better than his previous low.
On the girls side, Bridget Nichols (22.19) was the top SRRHS finisher. Cheyenne Javey (23:08) was second. Diana Raudales (27:00) was more than three minutes better than her previous best while Vashita Darji (30:47) was just under three minutes ahead of her previous best.
“I was expecting them to do well but they very much exceeded my expectations,” coach Ben Scamihorn said. “There’s just something exciting about it. Like a Friday night lights football game, think about that same atmosphere at a cross country meet. That’s how it is. We’re racing under the lights. It’s just that much more exciting. Running in the dark is kind of cool.”
The Phoenix Classic didn’t only serve as a place for runners to post their personal best times. The Scorpions also got to compete against some of the top teams in the area. That gave the SRRHS runners, who are by and large young and still relatively inexperienced in the sport, a chance to see up close and personal what the future could hold for them if things continue to go well.
“You learn a lot from them [the older teams],” Nichols said. “You learn that there’s a lot of room for you to grow. Right now, this team is young. But watching these other teams, the older teams, you see where you’ll be in a few years if you work hard. You can see that you can push yourself harder. These experienced athletes are so mentally tough and you can see it in the races. They teach you to push yourself harder in the meets.”
