- April 30, 2024
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Seabreeze, Mainland, Taylor and Pine Ridge high schools' boys cross country teams battle at the start of the beach run held at the Harvard approach in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Seabreeze boys cross country team cheers before they compete in the beach run against Mainland, Pine Ridge and Taylor high schools. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze cheerleaders and students stood together at the start-finish line at the cross country beach run. They are part of the high school's program Sandcrabs Supporting Sandcrabs that promotes different sports teams supporting each other. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze cross country runner Hunter Shuler (left) leads his team in a warm-up before the meet on the beach against Mainland, Pine Ridge and Taylor high schools. Photo by Michele Meyers
Hunter Shuler (left), Zeno Louizes and Steven Martinez lead the warmup for the Seabreeze boys cross country team before the beach run cross country meet in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze Athletic Director and cross country coach Brad Montgomery explains the beach run to the runners before the start of the race. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze athletic director and cross country coach Brad Montgomery (right) times his runners at the beach run in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze's Hunter Shuler (left) leads the Sandcrabs just behind Taylor High School in the first leg of the beach run. Photo by Michele Meyers
Sandcrab Palmer Korey runs the first leg of the race during the Seabreeze beach run meet in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Sandcrabs Zeno Louizes, Jack Slater and Thomas Davis run in tandem as the cheerleaders yell encouragement at the Seabreeze beach run in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze principal Tucker Harris (left) stands with the cross country team and coaches after the beach run against Mainland, Pine Ridge and Taylor high schools. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland cross country runners participate in the beach run against Seabreeze, Pine Ridge and Taylor high schools in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Cross country runners, Sandcrab Riley Hale and Buccaneer Kiera Williams, charge the finish line in the rain and tie for first at the beach run in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Cross country runners, Sandcrab Riley Hale and Buccaneer Kiera Williams, high five after their first-place tie at the Seabreeze beach run in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze's Riley Hale and Mainland's Kiera Williams tie for first place at the beach run cross country meet in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze and Mainland high school girls cross country teams battle on the beach during the annual Seabreeze beach run. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze's Riley Hale (center) and Mainland's Kiera Williams (right) run together and tie for first at the Seabreeze beach run meet. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze cross country runner Steven Martinez gives it his all as he crosses the finish line during the beach run meet in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Sandcrab Hunter Shuler finishes first for the boys cross country team at the Seabreeze beach run in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze principal Tucker Harris (left) goofs around with the cross country team and coaches after the beach run against Mainland, Pine Ridge and Taylor high schools. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze cross country runners Zeno Louizes and Thomas Davis fight to the finish at the beach run in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Go 'Breeze! The Seabreeze girls cross country teamgather for a little team spirit before the beach run. Photo by Michele Meyers
Buccaneer Veronica O'Brien beams after she finishes the Seabreeze beach run at the Harvard approach in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Local high school cross country runners waited as the Bobcat compact tractor was unloaded at the Harvard beach approach. It churned up the sand as it was driven away from the start-finish line of the Seabreeze Beach Run meet on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 20.
“It’s just part of it,” Seabreeze athletic director and cross country coach Brad Montgomery said. “Things happen, you just adapt and move on. That’s what the kids do when they run cross country. It’s all flat and then there’s a hill in front of them — they just take the challenge and move on.”
The disruption did not phase the Seabreeze boys and girls cross country teams which train at the beach once a week. Seabreeze's Hunter Shuler placed first for the boys while the Sandcrabs' Riley Hale and Mainland’s Kiera Williams crossed the finish line simultaneously in 23:50 for the girls.
“Riley Hale competed well all the way to the end,” Montgomery said. “Those two kids battled each other the whole way. At the finish line, it looked like they came across at the same time. They were smiling and looked like they were having a great time.”
Hale and Williams are the top runners for their teams. They met at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Asics Classic meet the previous weekend. At that time, they knew they would be competing throughout the season which was proven at the beach run.
“As soon as we started out, we were keeping the same pace and time as we were running,” Williams said. “We would cheer each other on. It was really good. Now we know who we’re supposed to go against. We are each other’s person. It’s a friendly rivalry. At the end, we are going to put everything into it.”
Williams’ goal for the season is to run in the 20s or beat 20 minutes.
“Personally, I always look forward to setting a new (personal record) but you can’t really set a new PR without the competition, so I feel like with having that competition (with Hale) we will just push each other to even better and even faster than what we planned to begin with, so it’s great,” Williams said.
Personally, I always look forward to setting a new (personal record) but you can’t really set a new PR without the competition, so I feel like with having that competition (with Hale) we will just push each other to even better and even faster than what we planned to begin with, so it’s great. — Kiera Williams, Mainland cross country runner
Hale started the season at 23:17 and ran a personal-record 22:16.7 at the Tohopekliga XC Invitational at Austin Tindall Park in Kissimmee on Sept. 23. Following the transfers of Arianna and Mackenzie Roy to Spruce Creek High School, she has changed her perspective.
“I am happy for them,” she said. “But I just needed to step up and run harder. I just did it to do it my first two years, but this year I actually enjoy it and want to get better.”
Shuler, a sophomore, said his father Paul Shuler, a Seabreeze math teacher and coach, has been helpful with reaching his goals along with running track last year which has been instrumental in improving his times. He would like to finish the season with a time under 16 minutes.
“I’ve been running super fluid and I’m not tired when I run these races,” he said. “I’ve been feeling strong. I feel that is a sign that I’m going to be strong in these difficult races in these places where it’s going to be very hard to beat teams.”
Shuler placed 21st out of 182 runners with a 17:06.08 at the Tohopekaliga XC Invitational. His PR is 16:58.5.
He attributes a shift in his attitude toward running to the Spanish word ganas which is used in the movie “Stand and Deliver”.
“The word ganas means “desire” in Spanish,” he said. “I learned a lot from that movie because it taught me that all of these races I’m running now, they are hurting like hell, but I didn’t have the ganas to push to the next level (last season). I feel like now is the time to push to the next level no matter how bad it’s going to hurt and no matter how my legs are tiring. I feel like I have the desire now.”
