On Friday, Sept. 11, the King of the Hill Cross Country Invitational took place at Tropical Park at Miami’s one and only hill. With over 20 teams and music blasting throughout the race, the race was a success.

The junior varsity races started off at 3:45 p.m. with clouds covering the skies. Gables’s cross country team did not compete in junior varsity races; the leading teams were from Our Lady of Lourdes for the girls and Belen Jesuit for the boys.

“Once you see the results, [running] becomes an addiction,” freshman Sebastian Escobar said.

At 5:00 p.m., the girl’s Varsity race began with clear skies. Even though it was the hottest part of the day, the girls stayed strong from start to finish. Gables came in 13th place out of 23.

“Running up a hill in Miami’s heat is never easy, but the meet went really well. I was actually proud of how I did for once. I just kept pushing myself and finishing knowing that you gave it your all is the most accomplishing feeling ever,” junior Adriana Fernandez said.

When the varsity race for boys came along at around 5:30 p.m., the boys started out stronger than ever. Gables’s boys came in 20th place out of 30. Both the girls and guys met their personal records for this season by improving a few minutes from the previous three races.

“It was a tough meet. The course has a hill and we don’t practice with hills or usually run this course so it definitely was a challenge. However, I think the girls team did a great job because a few of us were able to run together as a pack, which is very helpful. In a pack, we are able to keep a good pace, stick together and push each other. So I am so proud of us because being a team is what is important and we are getting stronger every day,” senior Eleonor Bauwens said.

Going over Miami’s only hill in the blazing sun, in addition to running three miles, is not an easy task. The Gables cross country team definitely had a successful race and will keep getting better as the season progresses.