On the morning of Oct. 10, the cross country team stood at the start line ready to run their second to last season meet. The weather was sunny but cold and Nick Durham (11), varsity runner, was more ready than ever.

It was Durham’s first year running at the NorthWest Conference even though he has been on varsity all three of his years at OHS.

At nine o’clock in the morning, Durham was able to run a 4:47.7 mile, which is one of his fastest times this season. He finished 3.1 miles with a total time of 16:59 and placed 16 out of 64 kids.

Eleven schools ran at this meet, and every year it prepares the runners for districts the following week.

Durham is currently ranked 8th at districts and 32nd at sectionals. This year he hopes to place in the top 100 at state.

Durham’s friends play a key role in his success as a runner. “This year I have Jake McClung (12) pushing me to be faster by applying pressure from behind,” he says.

When asked how he does it, Durham reminisced over past runs. “I try to focus on other things when in run when I’m in pain.”