Running is an individual pursuit. Cross country, however, is a team sport. In their first Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) meet on Sept. 27, the Artichoke Invitational, Burlingame’s runners proved the importance of that distinction, with many athletes racing in groups and encouraging one another throughout.

“Although we are dealing with an injury or two, varsity actually ran very well as a team and placed very well and helped each other,” head coach Chris Coleman said. “Collectively as a team, we seem to be working pretty well together.”

According to cross-country rules, the top five finishers on each team receive a score based on their placement, and the team with the lowest total is declared the winner. Therefore, it is advantageous to work as a group rather than solely concentrating on each athlete’s individual ranking. The approach was effective for Burlingame, as both the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams ended up in top positions. Boys’ varsity placed twelfth in the final rankings with a score of 288, while girls’ varsity ranked fifth, earning an overall score of 140. 

“Our coaches think that we have a better chance to make [the state championship] if we run as a group, so the main goal in all workouts is always to finish as a team,” junior Lilly Kolmsee said.

Kolmsee, a new addition to the team this year, is a German transfer student. She has no shortage of past athletic experience, having competed in horseback riding, swimming and running events.. Kolmsee was delighted to arrive at Burlingame and encounter a strong sense of team community, which, she admits, makes her much more eager to run. The support of teammates beside her was especially helpful while summiting  the notoriously steep “Cougar Hill” during her race — according to Kolmsee, dozens of runners opted to walk up the incline. Kolmsee, however, was able to maintain a consistent pace throughout. 

“Honestly it was great because I’ve never competed with a team and only ever raced on my own,” Kolmsee said. “I was glad to have my teammates run beside me during Cougar Hill or cheering for me on the side.”

Although individual scores were not the primary emphasis of the meet, some athletes produced impressive results on their own. Senior Jake Ramirez, for one, finished fifth in the boy’s varsity race with a time of 12:26. Unlike Kolmsee, Ramirez ran the race without teammates, mostly because there aren’t many that can keep up with him.

“I do find [running by myself] more difficult because with a teammate you have someone to push you and you can push them and you will get better together,” Ramirez said. “But if you’re by yourself, there’s no one really to push you which can sometimes be a struggle.”

Whether running in a group or by themselves, all athletes showcased their greatest efforts at the meet. Senior Cora Haggarty came in 22nd in the girls’ varsity race with a time of 15:39, while sophomore Ryan Liu completed the course in just over 14 minutes, finishing eighth in the frosh-soph boys’ division.

Freshman Elizabeth Carroll impressed in the first meet of her high school career, finishing in 26th place in a varsity race dominated by upperclassmen. She had the 2nd freshman time in the pack, establishing herself as a dominant young runner for the Panthers.  

Returning cross-country athletes also excelled, such as senior Ava Gonzalez, who feels that her intensive summer training and years of experience are critical to her success this season.

“I feel like I’ve really grown as a runner and am much more confident in my skills,” Gonzalez said. “Pacing was a big thing because I struggled with it last year but now feel like I have an amazing pace thanks to all of the practice that we have done.”

The opening meet is just the beginning of what looks to be a successful and accomplished season for the Panthers. For now, cross country is focused on preparing for their next PAL meet, held at Hallmark Park on Wednesday, Oct. 11. 

“We always need practice, we always need conditioning, you never know what some of the other teams are doing, how strong they are,” Coleman said. “But the bottom line is, we just want to make sure we prepare as best as we can, to run our race and to compete when we see that competition.”