As I stepped out of the old, yellow school bus, the smell of freshly mowed grass and perspiration filled the air; it was cross country season. As we walked past the crowds of runners setting up camp, we passed a sign that read, “Welcome to Moorhead’s 17th Annual Shocky Strand Invitational.” The Moorhead meet is notorious for being the hottest race of the season, and today it did not disappoint. The muggy, 87º air sat motionless over the parks , and suddenly I realized what I would’ve given for just the slightest bit of breeze. It was 9:37 a.m., and with only 23 minutes before the Varsity race, my teammates and I laced on our spikes and started our warm-ups. After what felt like hours, a man in a black and white collared tee-shirt stepped into