The 35th GearUP Eason Invitational hosted by Glacier Peak and Snohomish High School resulted in men’s Varsity ending in fourth place and women’s Varsity ending in sixteenth place. This overall success was thanks to the highly skilled individuals who competed at this meet. “I did the four by eight with Gracie, Brook, and Cameron. It was a good race. We were seated 13 before the race and ended top 6. It was a pretty cool race because Brooke got us to 11th, then Gracie got us to eighth, then I got us to seventh, and Cameron got us to sixth,” Kaitlyn Fisher said.
Since the meet was so competitive, these athletes had to think of nothing else besides the pace they were setting and the finish line ahead of them. If they did not, they would have either fallen behind the curve of everyone else or not even have made it to begin with. “There were upwards of 40 teams, and it was a super fun meet. I ran the 3200, and it was very competitive. I just wanted to get a PR and improve my times,” Mason Strasser said.
Although one of the benefits is being exposed to so many new people. “Doing two events was really fun because I got to meet so many people from different states and divisions. It was great to compete against people I haven’t competed against before,” Thomas Morrison said.
Racing against the most fit athletes on the West Coast calls for the most serious attitude towards the race. Pushing every fiber to the edge of breaking just for a millisecond faster. But it was also filled with more relaxed moments. Most of the Glacier Peak track team that didn’t compete still came and helped make sure the meet ran smoothly. Moving hurdles around and making sure the bar kept moving up higher. The meeting went smoothly thanks to all the individuals who came to help. However, even though it was a competitive meet, there was still time to have a good laugh. “It was fun, I played football and hung out with the throwers, we helped set up the area for coaches to get their snacks and cheered on our team,” Fisher said.