Results - Race Videos/Interviews - Photos
KALONA, Iowa - Iowa City High kicked off its season in style by cruising to victory at the Iowa Mennonite School Earlybird Invitational here Tuesday night.
Sophomore Caden Turnbough pulled away from a pack of Little Hawks to win the race in 16:46.27. He was followed across the finish line by teammates Lucas Firmstone (17:01.65), Quenton Max (17:06.89) and James Momberg (17:15.82).
"I did more than I expected," Turnbough said. "This race was on a pretty intense course, not very hilly, just very mental."
A few runners from other schools set the pace early in the race. Turnbough stayed committed to his plan.
"Definitely going out too hot is something that at the end of the race you're going to pay for," he said. "So keeping that pace in the beginning, knowing that guys are going to slow down and tire by the end. So, you just run smart and keep your pace from beginning to end."
Firmstone proved something to himself and those around him Tuesday. He finished ninth in the team's time trials earlier this month.
"I was doing really bad at the beginning of the season but this race I felt great," he said. "I kind of just got motivated. My coaches and my peers were, to be honest, disappointed in me that I was running so bad because I'm a senior and the first three years of my career I've always been on varsity."
Turnbough and Firmstone pushed the seven-runner City High pack through the first two miles of the race. They broke away from the group from there and Max went with them.
"I was happy with it," Max said of his race. "It was probably a bit slower than I would have liked but I've been coming off a harder week of training."
Max said he improved his time from last year on the course by :48.
The Little Hawks (16) easily outdistanced second-place Cedar Rapids Jefferson (47) for the team title. Washington (113) and Wapello (119) finished third and fourth, respectively.
Jefferson's Robert Larson (17:33.98) finished fifth with City's JP Rethwisch (17:35.10) and Eric Thomas (17:39.70) grabbing sixth and seventh, respectively.