By Susan Harman 
Your Prep Sports 

CEDAR RAPIDS – The funky nature of the course at Noelridge Park played a role in the way the runners prepared.

Man-made funnels like bridges come into play as well as natural obstacles.

“This is the only race where you have to think ‘you have to get out super fast so you don’t run into a tree,’” City High senior Michael Berg said. “That’s unique.”

The tree comes right away when the field is bunched up, and the runners revisit it a couple more times.

“You have to get in good position on this side of the course even though it feels like most of the race is over there,” West High senior Gabby Skopec said. “There’s a lot of turns and people are cutting in. You have to go a little bit wide to avoid getting knocked over.”

“The start is always fast,” West High junior Bailey Nock said. “You need to get to a position where you’re not behind. It’s definitely important here to start out fast because in the first 200 yards there’s this tree and all these corners you have to run around. So the first 400 I was just trying to get myself in position and not too far back in the pack.”