Dimond Cross Country runners had an eventful first week of school. On Thursday morning at approximately 8:30, Dimond Cross Country runners piled into a tour bus, where would spend the next five to six hours driving to Homer.

The Dimond team raised money for the Kodiak trip by holding a car wash at Tastee Freeze.

Unlike most sports teams, who only sell things to fundraise money, the cross country team offers services to their community. The team has also made money by working at a running race. 

These fundraisers also act as team bonding opportunities where the kids get to spend quality time together.

Dimond Cross Country coach and math teacher, Nate Normdin said, “The trip took a long time to plan, and the Kodiak team really helped out planning the transportation.”

 The team’s hard work propelled them into a great weekend and the memories they created with their new friends.

 Due to the wild fires all across Alaska, the team had to depart from Anchorage ahead of schedule to ensure they did not miss the ferry ride to Kodiak.

 Normandin said, “The team waited in Homer for three hours before the ferry arrived.”

During the 14-hour ferry ride, the runners found various ways to keep themselves entertained. 

Senior Hailey Hand said the team “hammocked, talked with friends, made Tik Toks and did homework.” 

Another Dimond Senior, Luis Sanchez, said that he simply “stayed up late thinking.” 

For all cross country runners this was an exciting trip; however, one Dimond runner had a particularly astounding week. A new Dimond exchange student from Germany, Nils Colb, had a week of many firsts. 

Like many other runners, it was Colb’s first time visiting Kodiak, Alaska, and he said he was “impressed with how wild it looked.” 

Colb explained that they did not have cross country running at his school in Germany and that the Kodiak race was his very first 5K. 

Like many other runners, Colb experienced motion sickness on the ferry ride. 

Colb said he “was surprised how bad motion sickness can make you feel.” 

Sanchez shared a similar experience, and said, “The traveling left me feeling tired and weird.” 

Dimond runners also had to navigate through the flames of the perpetual fire. 

 Normandin said, “There was some speculation over the trip,” highlighting how there was concern over student saftey. 

Normandin said, “You could smell and taste the fire while driving through.”

 Despite the challenging conditions, the Dimond Cross Country team persevered with few adverse effects during the race.

Undeterred by the smoke and the sickness, the runners embodied grit, tied up their Asics and ran their hearts out. Sanchez, along with many other runners, rose to the occasion and set a personal record at the Kodiak race. 

The annual Kodiak trip is something most Dimond runners look forward to. Yet for Kodiak runners traveling every weekend can get exhausting. 

 Normandin said, “It was pretty neat for the Kodiak team to not travel.” 

The Kodiak race is a perfect way for all runners to enjoy themselves and their love for running.

Sadly, not all Dimond student runners were able to make the trek across the state that weekend. Senior Mary Reinbold explained she missed the race because she was taking the ACT. 

Dimond runners sure know how to align their priorities! 

Reinbold said, “My favorite part of cross country is the spaghetti feeds.” 

Although the Dimond Cross Country has returned to their stomping grounds, the team still has plenty of spaghetti to eat and memories to create.