SOMERS, N.Y. - On Sept. 19, Somers Cross Country hosted its annual Big Red Invitational, bringing runners together on a glorious fall day with ideal racing conditions. For senior Gabriel Cacsire, however, the realities of cross country remain difficult to ignore.
“It stinks, no one wants to run ten miles on a Saturday,” Cacsire said.
Still, the challenges of running offer rewards that extend well beyond the finish line. Cacsire, who finished third, said the sport has helped him develop mentally and learn lessons that apply to everyday life.
“I’ve really grown so much mentally and so many life lessons I’ve applied,” he said.
One of those lessons comes from overcoming uphill battles. Courses such as Somers’ provide opportunities to push through difficult stretches, something Cacsire considers one of his strengths.
“I’m always passing people on the uphill,” he said. “That’s one of the strongest parts about me.”
Runners must also contend with the unexpected, even when it means adjusting their stride. Cacsire encountered muddy conditions on the first downhill stretch.
“I chopped up my steps going down the first hill and just tried to go around the mud puddles,” he said.
Even after navigating the course, runners can hit low points that make them question the purpose of pushing forward. For Cacsire, learning to persevere through those moments is part of the sport.
“That’s what I signed up for,” the Tusker said.
Cacsire also enjoys the freedom that comes with running alone during the final stretch of a race. After pulling away from the competition, he finished third without another runner beside him.
“It makes me feel free,” said Cacsire, an All-State runner.
Aidan See experienced a similar sense of solitude when he crossed the finish line first.
“No one around,” See said. “It’s nice to relax mentally.”
According to Somers coach Lacko, See earned that moment through his ability to manage a race from start to finish.
“Aidan just takes control of races,” Lacko said. “He knows the courses and knows when to make his move.”
On this day, however, See and the rest of the Somers runners had an additional challenge from their coach. Lacko had hoped the team could improve its times by a minute.
“We had plans to run the course a minute faster,” he said.
During Tuesday’s practice, the boys ran the first mile at an easy pace before pushing themselves for the remainder of the workout. On race day, Lacko made a slight adjustment to that plan.
“Let’s just do what we did on Tuesday, but now go faster for the first mile,” he told the runners.
See initially questioned the strategy.
“I thought it was a little crazy,” he said.
The results, however, supported Lacko’s approach. See nearly achieved the goal, improving his time by 47 seconds.
“He almost did it,” Lacko said.
Somers finished second overall as a team, a result that came despite the absence of three of its top seven runners. The team’s performance reflected the effort across the roster.
“Everyone PR’d,” Lacko said.
On the girls’ side, Somers took first place as a team. Junior Kaya Duzynski, meanwhile, finished third individually, although the result fell short of what she had hoped to achieve.
Duzynski had a legitimate reason for struggling late in the race: She had been sick throughout the week.
“I didn’t have a lot of energy at the end, because I was sick all week,” she said.
Although she acknowledged that running while sick might not have been the wisest decision, Duzynski said her desire to compete alongside her teammates took precedence.
“I wanted to run with my team,” she said.
Carolina Morocho, who finished fourth, also walked away from the race with a sense of accomplishment. The junior was visibly flushed after completing the course.
“I’m really proud,” she said.
Morocho also had to contend with the mud, but one particular part of the course presented a greater challenge.
“The east hill,” she said. “That really gets you.”
She had support from teammate Parker Page, with whom she regularly runs. The two approached the race with the team's performance in mind.
“Me and Parker (Page), we usually run together. So the thought was, ‘This is Big Red, we want to do well as a team,’” Morocho said. “That kept me pushing up that hill.”
Their partnership extended to the finish line, where running side by side was less about competing against each other and more about mutual encouragement.
“It’s more like, I’m proud of her. If she finishes before me, we stick together. We use each other to go faster,” Morocho said.
Page shared that appreciation for her teammate.
“I just feel lucky that I have an amazing teammate to run with,” she said.
Page also draws motivation from the course itself, particularly its hills.
“I like having hills in the race because it makes me push myself,” the junior said.
For Somers’ runners, the Big Red Invitational offered more than a chance to post times and earn team points. It provided another opportunity to test their limits, support one another and embrace the challenges that come with cross country.
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