A sea of green united at Vista’s cross country course for their sixth annual elementary cross country race Tuesday, Sept. 26. Third through sixth graders across the district came together to race a mile on the course.  Elementary schools Bear Canyon, Summit View, Northridge, Sand Creek, Heritage and Copper Mesa were invited to participate in the race.

“My favorite part was just cheering on the little kids and watching them do well and have fun,” sophomore Maddy Palmgren said.

Palmgren, along with all of the Mountain Vista cross country athletes, helped manage the event. Palmgren helped cheer for the runners and pass out water to the finishers. Other athletes handed out medals and set up cones to lead the runners in the right direction.

Coach Eric Selle said that his favorite part every year is being able to witness the interaction between the younger kids and the high schoolers.

“Most people think it’s a one way street, but the high schoolers benefit as well,” Selle said.

Selle is a coach for the Mountain Vista cross country team and has enjoyed the annual elementary school race each year.

“I really enjoyed finishing on the track, it was a lot of fun,” Bear Canyon fifth grader Holden Hayes said.

Hayes came in tenth place overall for the fifth grade boys race.  He said that he might be interested in joining the cross country team when he comes to Mountain Vista four years from now.

To wrap up the race, an award ceremony for the top ten finishers took place.  This year proved to be a big success as the students ran hard and finished strong.