The Dalles senior Alaina Casady’s steady progression as a high school cross country runner came to fruition Nov. 9, when she raced to a lifetime best time for 5,000 meters and finished second at the Class 4A state meet.
Casady also helped lead the Riverhawk girls to third place on a splendid, crisp, sunny day at Lane Community College in Eugene. Casady was second behind last year’s runner-up, Brooke Perry of La Grande. Casady, fourth at state in 2023, ran the 5,000-meter course in 18 minutes, 52.9 seconds (the fourth-best personal record in school history).
Her performance at state was vindication, of sorts, over her fourth-place finish at the Oct. 30 Tri-Valley Conference meet where she was fourth overall (albeit leading the Riverhawks to their second straight team crown).
“I wasn’t super happy about my district race,” Casady said between congratulations from some of the numerous The Dalles fans who made the trip to Eugene. “Districts I was pretty disappointed. I tried not to let it get to my head and know that you’re going to have your ups and downs. It was more motivation to do better at this race, to not have done as well at districts.
“Keeping an open mind and learning. Seeing what you might have done wrong before and learning for the next time.”
Casady won the district title in 2023, leading the Riverhawks to the team crown. The Dalles repeated in 2024, but Casady – who led the race early - slipped to fourth place individually. Emily Picard of Madras, and the Jenson sisters, Annalyse and Anika of Molalla, finished ahead of Casady at the rainy district meet.
Casady was intent not to let that happen at state. She stayed patient early and gradually improved her position throughout the 5,000-meter race.
“The race strategy was to go out like sixth to tenth,” she explained. “Going out too fast I’m not able to do that. And then just make up ground as I go. For me I wanted to do better than I did last year.”
Casady was eighth after 1,000 meters, sixth after 2K, and fifth after 3K. By that time, Perry had a 14-second lead on the field. As the chase pack entered its second loop around the Lane Community College ponds, Casady made her move.
“Going into that second mile I could tell that the girls in front of me were getting tired. I just kept telling myself I could do it,” she said. “I have a hard time kicking. Pretty much anyone can outkick me (when I get) on the track, so I knew that if I wanted to beat anyone, I’d have to go (during) the second lap around the pond.
“That’s where I started picking it up hoping to catch people.”
Casady also noticed she had pulled closer to Perry. “I saw the gap between Brooke and I getting smaller, so I had motivation to keep going — and I didn’t know how far the other girls were behind me,” she said. “It was kind of that fear of people passing me and knowing I could do better.”
Once Casady hit the blue Lane track with 300 meters to go she had a seven-second lead on third-place finisher La Grande’s Cecilia Villagomez Edvalson, who was the 2023 winner.
Cross country running success depends on so many factors, including course and weather conditions. Casady showed steady progression at the state-meet level, improving her position and time each of the four seasons she competed in Eugene.
Casady was 33rd in her 2021 freshman season, when The Dalles finished ninth as a team in the Class 5A race. The Riverhawks improved one place at state the next season, finishing eighth in the Class 4A final, as Casady was seventh (20:17). Last season, The Dalles won the fourth-place trophy at state and Casady raced to fourth place individually in 19:30.
Casady was third as a freshman in the 5A Intermountain Conference district final; then third, first and fourth at the Tri-Valley Conference district championships her sophomore through senior seasons. As a team, the Riverhawks were second, third, first, and first in those district meets.
She acknowledged Coach Jill Bell and the other Riverhawk assistant coaches for their guidance throughout her cross country career. She said trusting their experience, with the ups and downs of a typical fall season, were key to her successful running career.
“They’re smart. They’ll program the workouts to help with (the ups and downs),” she said. “You can’t do well in every race … (you must) stay smart, keep training, doing everything outside of running (nutrition, hydration). All that, focusing on the little things that you can control other than how well you race.
“You have to trust in yourself — and the team. Believing that you can.”
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