Sophomore cross-country stomps over school record in the 5k

Through hard work and pain athlete, athlete enjoys her best time

Elouan Thomas, Staff Reporter

November 8, 2023

Sophomore Cassidy Armstrong broke the school record 5,000-meter cross country record by one minute.

Imagine setting a record. It could be small or large – anything. Then imagine setting a record while running with your heart pounding, your legs aching, and a jubilant crowd screaming with encouragement. Sophomore Cassidy Armstrong broke both the school record, as well as her own personal record at the 5,000-meter cross country race on Oct. 4, at an Ingraham, Franklin and Ballard meet at Lincoln Park.

The new standing record, established by Armstrong at 17:49:02. She broke the previous record set in 2018 by over one minute.

“I worked really hard,” Armstrong said. “So it’s nice to see the results coming from all the work.”

Armstrong began running in eighth grade, originally competing in track and field. She eventually began cross country freshman year, explaining that she wanted to do a school sport, meet new people and compete in a running sport in the fall.

Since then, she has continued to run both cross-country and track, and has been enjoying it. For as long as she has been running cross-country, she has been running for BHS.

When asked what motivated her to run, she answered, “I just want to keep getting better,” Armstrong said. Her competitiveness and desire to win were huge factors. Breaking a record, therefore,

was an ideal goal.

“It was our last time running on this one course,” Armstrong said. “It was really good weather, and it was a flat course, and so I knew it was probably my best opportunity of the season to go below 18 minutes.”

Armstrong spoke about how there was a lot of pressure on her that day, with everyone expecting her to break the record.

“I just tell myself people are gonna ask me how I did,” Armstrong said. “My coaches are gonna see how I did, and I want to be able to be proud of my time.”

Running, like any sport, comes with its fair share of pain. In the best cases, that includes aching joints and scraped knees. In the worst, broken limbs and twisted ankles.

“The pain during the race only lasts twenty minutes,” Armstrong said. “And then the time is like time forever, and I have to see my times forever.”

A credo of hers is that she’d rather feel terrible and have a good time, than feel (physically) good and have a bad time.

When Armstrong entered freshman year last year, she began cross-country and later joined the track-and-field team.

“Everybody’s really supportive,” Armstrong said. “Everybody cheers you on, and at practice, everybody’s just really supportive, and everybody works as a team.”

Armstrong lacked previous experience with cross-country, and only ran track-and-field for a few weeks in eighth grade, where the schedule was much less rigorous, with her team meeting just once a week. Now, Armstrong is on a team with an intensified structure, meeting once a day. However, this hasn’t been too much of a bother for her, and she mentions really enjoying the experience she has gained in cross-country.

Armstrong says that she isn’t planning on making a career out of running but would really like to participate in a Division 1 program, and has goals to get the best time possible to maximize her chances.

“I just try to do everything the best I can,” Armstrong said.

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