Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Rachel David, HHS Cross Country

The Havre High cross country teams are getting closer and closer to the pinnacle of their seasons. And with the Central A Divisional and Class A State meets on the horizon, Havre runners like junior Rachel David are doing all they can to peak at the right time. 

David, who is among the top performers for the Blue Pony girls, is an experienced runner and knows what it takes to perform on the big stage

Not only is she a veteran of cross country after two seasons as a varsity runner, she also runs track and competed in three events at the Class A state meet last spring. As a sophomore she participated in the 400-meter run, the 800-meter run and 1,600-meter relay. In those events, David finished 13th, 10th and 10th, respectively. 

In addition to her track experience, she also knows what it's like to run big races in cross country. Last season, at the Central A Divisonal, she was part of a Havre team that claimed the conference championship, while also finishing in 8th place as an individual with a time of 21:31. Then, the next week at state, David improved her time by 23 seconds, to 21:08 and finished a very respectable 38th, while the Ponies took fourth as a team. 

Runners, like golfers, have a different mentality when it comes to their seasons. Every week is important, but what takes a higher priority is performing your best at the right time. It's called peaking and it can be an art as much as a science. It's something that David will try her best to master in just a few weeks at divisionals in Lewistown on Oct. 18. 

David, who has put together a slew of Top 10 finishes this year for the Ponies, is preparing for to run in front of the hometown fans for the first time this season at the Havre Invitational this Saturday.

Here’s five questions with one of HHS’s top distance runners.

HDN: You run track and cross county, so what is it you like about running?

Rachel David: “I like the rewards that I get out of (running), working so hard and seeing all of the accomplishments that come out of it. Our family has always kind of had a thing for running, too, so it was a natural thing for me.”

HDN: Which do you like most track or cross country and why?

Rachel David: “Honestly I would have to say track. With cross country you put in a lot of work, you run so many miles, where as in track I only do the 400 and the 800. And you can see yourself improving more because the meets are like every three days.”

HDN: How do you go about trying to peak and get your best times at the end of the year?

Rachel David: “For every race, you are always trying to go all out. Almost even from the beginning. The more and more workouts we do, we just naturally get better. Even from the beginning we are always trying to reach that peak and beat our best time.”

HDN: What are your individual goals for divsionals and state?

Rachel David: “I have kind of always been in the 20-minute marker, so I have always wanted to get around a 19:50. Just to get in around there has been my goal since the beginning of the season. As for state, it is really tough so I am hoping to place Top 15.”

HDN: What does your team need to do to reach its team goal this year?

Rachel David: “I feel like we have gaps between times, so if we stay together and follow each other one by one and get a better pack time that will be the best way for us to be better as a team.”