The finish chute of a cross country race is a chaotic place to be. After running 3.1 miles faster than most people could walk just one, athletes sprint across the finish line at full speed and then either collapse to the ground, completely spent, or bend over, hands on knees, desperately trying to catch their breath. Finish chute workers attempt to move athletes out of the way of those still finishing, parroting the perennial running advice: “Keep walking, keep walking. Go get some water.”
That’s what the scene looked like after the varsity boys’ race at the Steve Johnson Invitational cross country meet hosted by Wartburg College this Saturday. As the clock neared 17 minutes, a figure in a red uniform crossed the finish line. In contrast to the exhausted finishers around him, he raises his arms in triumphant double fists, shouting “YES!” for the whole world to hear. The clock reads 16:54.
That figure is Henry Hansen. He’s been leading the boy’s varsity team across the line this season. Despite missing the first two meets of the season due to injury, he’s rallied to shatter his previous personal record of 17:07.
Running a sub-17 5k is a huge milestone in the sport of cross country. “It has been a goal all season,” said Hansen. “It feels like a huge jump from 17:01 to 16:59 and finally making that jump made me so happy.”
As Hansen walks out of the chute, exhausted runners can’t help but give him a high five as he walks past, grinning broadly and still in awe of the time he just ran. “I felt amazing,” he said. “I got so happy because I had finally made that goal.”
Did Hansen’s injury have an impact on his season? “It has made me work even harder to be where I want to be, to meet my goals,” said Hansen.
And Hansen’s not stopping there. “I want to continue to push down my time this year,” he said. Hansen also hopes to qualify for the state cross country meet on November 1.
Other notable performances from the races on Saturday included Savannah Davis, leading girls’ varsity with at time of 20:26, Eva Fulk, leading girls’ JV with a PR of well over a minute for a time of 23:30, and Parker Page, finishing his first ever 5k in the JV boys’ race with a time of 19:32.
