Running 3.1 miles is not an easy thing to do under any circumstances, but when you add in the element of air so thick with moisture you can see it, the task becomes even harder.

On Saturday morning the drive to the Gans Creek Classic X-Country course featured near zero visibility at times, and while one might think that would not be an issue once the runners got on the course, that was not entirely true. The complaint heard most often was not about the cool weather, but about the inability to breathe. The fog also made it difficult for coaches and spectators alike. “It is a beautiful course and we are always thankful to be able to run there. The conditions were great too, except that the fog made it hard to see our runners,” said Harrisburg head coach Corey Whitaker.

Having four of the five runners participating turn in either season bests or personal best is certainly a boost to your program. “It's hard to be disappointed with that,” Whitaker said. “They continue to improve, even though it was a tough week for some of them. (Sophomore) Emma Fischer is running better at this point in the season than she was last year (last year she was five seconds away from being all-state). She had a really tough week with a death in the family. I’m very proud of her perseverance this week.”

As with most teams in the area, athletes often pull double duty. Senior Zoey Dennison and sophomore Jill Davidson both got home late the night before because they are also on the football cheer squad. “They both ran well despite having little rest,” Whitaker said. “Zoey keeps dropping her time every meet.” Fischer, and senior Katie Starbuck both also play on the softball team.

Sophomore Brittany Johnmeyer joined cross country late this season, so she is just starting to get into shape, and she still set a new personal record by quite a bit. Katie Starbuck ran her season-best time. “All-in-all, we have a long way to go before we are performing like last year’s team that got third in the state, but we are heading in the right direction,” Whitaker said.

The Lady Bulldogs will next compete on October 2 at North Callaway, then a week later on October 9 at Lexington, followed by an October 11 trip to Clarksville to participate in the Clopton Hamburger Meet.

On October 16, the team will return to Gans Creek to host the Brian Simpson Invitational at 10 a.m.