On October 31 and November 1, 2025, after qualifying for the state meet the weekend before, the Durango Cross Country teams traveled and competed at state. This was the first time in recent years that both the boys and girls teams competed at the highest level for the state meet in the 5A level, which is very fast and competitive. This article hopes to provide a view into traveling and racing at such a high level competition with the Durango Cross Country teams
Friday, October 31, 2025:
8:20 am: Send off!
8:45-2:30 am: Depart Durango. It’s about a 6 hour drive to Colorado Springs with stops. While on the bus, we did homework, watched movies, and hung out.
2:45: We arrived in Colorado Springs and went straight to the course to do a shakeout run. We always do a short run the day before a race, 1-2 miles and a few strides (which are short, fast sprints), to help get our legs moving. The 5 kilometer (3.11 miles) race is held at Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs. The course is mostly on hard packed gravel/dirt and, according to the CHSAA website, “features rolling hills, dirt and prairie grass terrain, and a creek bed crossing”. The first mile is mostly downhill and is very crowded from the start of the race, which quickly bottlenecks. Then, the second mile is a mix of up and downhill, and the third mile is mostly flat along a creek. To finish the race, you cross the creek, go up a very short but steep hill, and finish in the stadium.
4: After our run, we got to our hotel for the night. We hung out in our rooms and got ready for state dinner, where we dressed up fancy for.
6: We had dinner at a restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs at Rasta Pasta, which was a Jamaican-Italian fusion restaurant. There were lots of laughs and it was fun to hang out with the team. Italian food is pretty much a must before any meet!
8: We got back to the hotel after dinner, and the girls hung out and did state notes/gifts, which is a tradition that we do each year for state.
9:30: We got ready and got into bed.
Saturday, November 1, 2025:
6:30 am: Wake up! We had to leave the hotel at 7:20 in order to get to the course early enough for the guys to warm up, and we also had to eat three hours before we run. We got ready, put on our uniforms, and then went down to breakfast. Most runners eat peanut butter toast with bananas and honey before a race.
7:45: Arrive at the state course! We set up our area inside an inside space that is at the event center. The guys warmed up while we did glitter and hair. The guys raced the first race of the day. It was very cold when we arrived. 5A boys were the first race of the day, and it was 35 F when they ran.
9:00: We watched the guys start their race. The start of this race is chaotic, with it quickly going from a wide start line to a small width. Many people fall, trip, or get pushed in the start of the race. Because we had to start warming up soon, we weren’t able to watch their whole race, but it was nice to watch the start. The guys finished 18th out of 20 teams in 5A, and there was 160The place is determined by scoring your top five runners, even though you run seven. The guys finished with 409 points. Junior Rocco Enea finished first for Durango in 61st place in 16:26, followed by sophomore Caden Voss, senior Miles Snow, junior Jackson Fisher, and freshman Travis Hugentobler to make up the five scoring places for Durango.
9:20: We started our warm up, which includes a one mile warmup run, dynamics, and leg swings. These help us get ready for our race. Some dynamics we do include toes and heels, A and B skips, Flamingos, and Frankensteins, along with other drills.
10:00: We went to the starting area. Here we completed our uniform checks, and some strides. During our strides, we did our cheer, which is a tradition before each race. This is when the nerves set in!
10:20: Race time! After lining up, the gun went off to start the race! There are so many racers in each race. The start line is very wide and in a dirt lot, but quickly goes into a small path for runners. The whole race is very crowded, but especially the first mile. There were 151 girls in the 5A girls race. Overall, the girls finished 18th out of 20 5A teams with 441 points. Freshman Zia Fadil finished first of the Durango girls in 38th in 18:53, followed by freshman Rebekah Quayle, senior Ayumi Lambert, junior Olivia Glover, and senior Evie Morris, to make up the scoring places for Durango.
11:15: After our race, we made it back to our area, changed shoes, and then went on a cool down run for a mile.
11:45: We left the race course after packing up our area.
12:00: Lunch in Colorado Springs. We had many options to choose from, including pasta and Mexican food.
12:45: After lunch, we left Colorado Springs and drove back to Durango.
