The temperature approached triple digits just before 3:30 on a recent afternoon and the dozen or so young people — who could otherwise have indulged in, say, video games or social media chat — had instead assembled to run.
Yes, as foreign as that might seem, what with school taking place in students’ living rooms and their sport postponed until the day after Christmas, more than a dozen members of San Marino High School’s cross-country program have continued to train as if Rio Hondo League races were right around the corner.
Which, under normal circumstances, would be the case, except that the COVID-19 pandemic reshuffled all the cards and moved high school cross-country from, well, now until late December. But the change in schedule hasn’t affected the squad’s manner of preparation as the runners simply haven’t stopped, even though in-person instruction has.
Perhaps even more impressive is that the workouts are entirely at the behest of the student-athletes and are completely optional. Just a bunch of kids coming together once or twice a day to stay in race shape at the request of their peers.
“I really like it that way,” said Angus Leung, SMHS’ cross-country and track coach. “It shows what type of leadership they have. For those who show up, it really says how committed they are and how much they want to improve themselves.”
The runners started their routine in June, shortly after the end of the 2019-20 school year and at a time when there was no understanding of the direction the 2020-21 sports season would even take. That directive appeared on July 20 when the California Interscholastic Federation — the governing body of high school sports — announced that the three seasons in a typical school year would be compressed into two and wouldn’t begin until the holidays.
“I admire that they are taking advantage of the time we have off,” said Leung. “I would rather have the runners ready and they will be happy about themselves that they are getting better and better.”
The captains decide the length of the runs and intensity of the workouts. On a recent Friday morning as the temperature and humidity began to climb, there was even peer discussion about the need for hydration.
When asked if the participation of his four captains would pay off when the squad is eventually able to conduct in-person workouts, Leung said, “That is an understatement.”
The four senior captains — Lily Tong, Peyton Talt, Tavis Chen and Jonathan Karkafi — hope their hard work pays off when the season wraps up in mid-March. Leung is already impressed with their efforts.
“Peyton is one of the biggest surprises I have ever had as a coach,” he said. “She has become more and more dedicated to running. Her focus was once on softball, but at one point she connected to distance running. Peyton is like a coach to the other members of the team and is someone they really rely on.”
Members of San Marino High School’s cross-country team assemble at Monterey and Oxford roads nearly every day for student-led training sessions. The season, which has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, is still almost four full months away.
A triplet, Talt said her cross-country cronies “feel like another family to me.” The daughter of SMHS grads Leslee and Steve Talt is also active in drama.
Fellow runner Tong “has a unique way of getting her teammates’ attention,” Leung quipped.
“Lily has been a varsity runner for three years and was all-Rio Hondo League as a junior. She is a very talented athlete and works very hard.”
The daughter of Leslie Jiang, Tong recently received her Girl Scout Gold Award, at least in part due to a video project that demonstrated her suggested methods to relieve stress and anxiety. (The video can be seen on YouTube).
“My favorite thing about cross-country is getting to know my teammates beyond just running together,” Tong said. “I feel like the closer we get as a team, the better we improve in our running.”
Chen has emerged as a top runner mostly because of his exceptional work ethic.
“Tavis has definitely stepped up,” said Leung. “He is someone who you know really wants to be very good at what he does and is in a great spot to be captain. Tavis is a great student and he gets along with everyone.”
The son of Domino Wang and Wallace Chen is also active in robotics and speech and debate. He finds the synthesis between cross-country’s team and individual competitions to be most fascinating.
“While each runner may be striving to achieve his or her personal goals, everyone actually makes up one team that supports and inspires each other to do their best,” Chen said. “It’s really satisfying seeing how far each runner has come since their first day at practice to the present.”
Karkafi stars in both cross-country and track, where he is able to downshift to the shorter races without missing a beat.
“Jonathan is one of the best runners on the team,” Leung said. ‘I have seen his talent since he was an 8th-grader and now that he is a senior, everyone looks up to him. Jonathan is also a very humble kid.”
He is the son of Grace and Robert Karkafi and hopes to make Leung’s fifth year at the helm a successful one.
“I am very pleased to know they are working,” said Leung, who ran competitively for Temple City High School, an SMHS rival. “Their effort proves that they really want to be successful.”
Only time will tell, an adage that is more true this year than in most.
