The Valders Cross Country Team is quite happy with their performance at a recent meet in Sheboygan County.
The Vikings were among the massive field of runners at the 40th Annual Crusader Challenge hosted by Sheboygan Lutheran, where the girls finished 6th, and the boys came in 9th out of 16 schools.
Also, the Vikings posted two of the top ten runners among the girls, with Paige Backus and Alyssa Wagner coming in 5th and 8th, respectively.
Haleigh Wallander is a junior on the team, and she has been running cross country for the last six years.
She tells us the team has been putting in the work over the off-season.
“We have all been running over summer on our own,” she explained. “Then when we start the season, it starts with a speed day, then a tempo day. Then we have hill days where we run Brennen’s Hill.”
Each 5k course has a different sort of terrain, and each comes with its own set of challenges, and this recent course was no different.
“On that course specifically, there was a big uphill stretch in the first mile, and it was really muddy and really steep,” Wallander recalled. “There were a lot of spectators on the course, and they kinda helped us.”
The Valders runners are back at it today, but not for any ordinary meet.
The Bob Burzynski Cross Country Invite will be in Valders and starts at 4:00 pm. Anyone is welcome to come and help cheer on the Valders Vikings.
