Whether it was racing on the playground against friends or flying past everyone as he took victory, he loved running. When his passion turned into competing on a club track team where he continued to show his ability, he loved running. And now, cross country captain Elijiah Rivera-Campos’ love for running has him running to state.
After placing fourth in the district championships and advancing to the regional championships in Lubbock, Elijiah placed seventh in the race after finishing with a time of 15:29, securing a spot in the State Championship meet. Lubbock sits three and a half thousand feet above sea level, which causes thinner air and makes it harder to breathe.
“That was the hardest race of my life,” Elijiah said. “I call Lubbock ‘Hell.’ It was windy, hot, humid and hard to breathe. It was a hilly and tough course, but I pushed through it.”
Elijiah was the only cross country member to advance to state. To celebrate his achievement, the school organized a send-off on Oct. 31.
“[The team] was so pumped,” captain Kavish Patel said. “We’re all supporting Elijiah, we’re driving all the guys down there to the race to surprise him. I remember I was sitting at lunch when I found out. I was super happy. I was like ‘man, he finally did it.’”
This year, head coach Chance Edwards said that Elijiah has stepped up and led by example. Stating how he has improved on last year, from not being the most consistent runner to now consistently running well at races and putting in the work in practice.
“Elijiah’s always been a leader, he exemplifies it in everything he does,” Edwards said. “Whether it be a practice or outside of school: he gets good sleep, has good habits and gets all his mileage in. He never misses a beat. He’s phenomenal.”
Over the course of the week, Elijiah wakes up at 6 a.m. for early morning runs, practices 4-5 days and uses two days to recover and keep his body ready for races. He will travel down to Round Rock for the race on Nov. 1.
“I’ve always looked up to him,” Patel said. “He’s the most disciplined guy I know; I’ve learned a lot from him. Sometimes I’ll catch myself slacking off and I’m like, ‘I wonder what Elijiahs doing right now?’ He’s just a great role model and a great guy to be around.”
Elijiah said he plans to continue running in college, but his main focus is doing well at this race. For the upcoming state meet, he said he has dropped his mileage to allow his body to recuperate and be prepared for state.
“I’m energized and ready to get to state,” Elijiah said. “Usually when training doesn’t go well, I end up burning out and my body gives out. But now we control that, and have handled that better for this season, [along with] with my recovery. It’s crazy how all four years of work have led up to now. I just have to go all out for this last race and have fun with it.”
