APAC XC: Race to the End

This article is a collaboration between writers Nina Sepahi and Chirag Asnani.

This year’s APAC Cross Country was hosted by our very own school on October 20-22. AISG hosted eight guest schools including Brent International School (Manila), Concordia International School (Shanghai), Hong Kong International School, International School of Beijing, Shanghai American School (Pudong), Shanghai American School (Puxi), Western Academy of Beijing, and Seoul Foreign School.

Marking the end of a physically and mentally tough season, the final APAC race was much anticipated by all the AISG team’s cross country runners. Senior Leah Lee said, “I was extremely nervous leading up to the race, and I would get anxious just thinking about it.” On the other hand, sophomore Leyla Sepahi described a different set of emotions, saying “I wasn’t that nervous leading up to APAC just because it didn’t hit me that this was my last race up until the night before, when the pressure began to set in.”

Runners from the other APAC schools arrived in Guangzhou Friday evening, and went home with their hosts to get an early nights rest for Saturday and fuel up with carbs. The morning of the race, runners initially gathered at the Science Park campus for a quick welcome from Mr. Elliot at 8:00 a.m, and by 8:20 the runners, chaperones, parents and course marshals were loaded on buses and departed for the course. The race was held at Utahloy International School of ZengCheng, on a true cross-country course consisting of several steep hills, rocky terrain, a surrounding lake and a giant loop before the finish line.

Freshman Noya Gadi shared that her motivation was a piece of advice from her captains that rang in her ear during the race: “Take it one step at a time, one hill at a time, and one runner at a time.” Advice from Coach Archer really helped sophomore Sam Jin in his race, which was to “take three short, faster steps when you feel yourself beginning to slow down or lose concentration.” Before the race, the girls got to have a final pep talk with Coach Parker, in which he explained that the one result he wanted the most from each girl was simple: no regrets.

Overall, the race was a huge success, with many of our runners setting personal and seasonal records for themselves, as well as achieving other personal goals that they set on our first retreat to Qingyuan. Reflecting over the race, Noya says “I am really happy with my performance on race day because not only did I set a new best time for myself, but I also pushed myself to achieve specific goals.” Freshman Rahul Samtani says, “It was a great way to end my first season. Even though the competition was really tough this year, I think our team did very well and we should be proud of ourselves.” I asked senior Brian Jung to reflect on his last season as a whole: “I really think that the coaches and runners brought forth a new energy this year. I think this year’s team had a lot of chemistry and this showed in each practice when everyone would push each other. Sticking together as a team is what really benefitted us in the end.”

Personally, as a cross country runner and senior, as the season approached its end, I was excited to finally be able to say that I survived 4 years of cross country and could finally place the cap on my high school running career. However, I never expected to feel as sad as I did when the season ended. I think these sets of emotions began to set in as I became reflective over the 4 seasons that I have had the pleasure to experience. Each season brought forth a set of new runners and new friends, and I learned more and more about myself as the years went by. This year I got to lead beside captains Leah Lee, Brian Jung and Andrew Renfrow who all brought leadership and passion to each and every practice. Each senior is grateful for all the hard work everyone put into the season, as we are able to say that we ended our cross country chapters strong.

I think I speak on behalf of the team when I say we really could not have pushed through this season without our coaches, Ms. Archer and Mr. Parker. Their dedication to our team and belief in the capabilities of each runner was the driving force that led our team to success. The AISG cross country team also wants to make special recognition to Mr. Elliot and Ms. Michelle, for all the time and effort they spent on organizing this years APAC.