In a display of athletic performance, two exceptional seniors, Cody Kelley and Cody Wyman, placed at state in the Colorado Cross Country State Championship, bringing excitement and inspiration to Manitou Springs High School. State Championships were held at Norris Penrose Event Center were Cody’s brought exceptional achievement to MSHS placing at state there senior tear.cState Championships were held at Norris Penrose Event Center were Cody’s brought exceptional achievement to MSHS placing at state there senior tear.

This was a demonstration of their hard work, talent and dedication, as placing at state is not an easy achievement. “You realize that you know every workout that sucked every day that you didn’t want to go for a run was completely worth it,” Kelley said.

The head coach Andy Sherwood has been coaching cross country for 11 years although this is his third season at MSHS. “I love that it is a team sport where individual goals are also really important and attainable,” Sherwood said.

This success not only reflected their individual abilities but the strong guidance they received from coaches and teammates. “I can run for an hour and talk with someone the entire time so you get to know people and they help keep you going the whole run,” Wyman said.

Kelly has been running cross country with Manitou since seventh grade, although this is Wyman’s second season participating, both seniors were shown to be outstanding athletes; placing second and seventh at competition. “Not doing well is the hardest part because the feeling you get when you do really well in a race is just phenomenal, and to cap off a season with a second place finish. I mean, it’s all the hard work that you put in all the way since the end of track season really comes to fruition,” Kelley said.

The success from this competition can be credited to the dedication and mental strength the team put in during the season. “We run a lot over the summer with Cody and Cody averaging 50 miles a week over the summer,” Sherwood said.

With intense training throughout the year, the team has built important mental strengths that have allowed them to learn crucial lessons. “A facet of the racing is when you race and you don’t do as well as you think that’s definitely the hardest part because you kind of beat up on yourself yet in reality, people have bad days and the hardest part is accepting that,” Kelley said.

Cross Country is a tough sport that requires daily commitment, in which the seniors put in to prepare for the state championship. “Everything you do is a strategy, like eating, sleeping, all that and even like, just like, you got to know how to hit your turns, if you want to get out fast and erase if you want to go slow, how hilly each mile is whether if you want to go faster the first mile slower first mile to save your energy,” Wyman said.

Along with daily commitment, the coaches played an important part as they encouraged the team and pushed them to achieve their goals that helped them believe they were able to compete. “It’s really great to have them run so well on a big stage and I know they will both be successful at the next level,” Sherwood said.

“It was a dream come true,” Kelley said. The team raced their hearts out at state and coaches are extraordinarily proud of their accomplishments this season.