Aahana Sharma

Sophie Shen (9), Ava Alvarez (11) and Emily Bryan (12) race at the Gunn High School track during the 2-mile Hoka Postals. Runners completed eight laps around the track.

Cross country raced against Gunn in the HOKA Postal Nationals at Henry M. Gunn High School on Thursday. 

The HOKA Postals featured a two-mile race on a track instead of the standard three-mile hilly cross country course. Sponsored by the running shoe brand HOKA One One, this event is a nationwide cross country competition in which runner’s times are uploaded to the HOKA Postal Nationals website, where schools from across the country can compare results. This format allows athletes to focus on pacing and speed development instead of course navigation. 

For the sixth consecutive year, Head Coach Jorge Chen turned this event into a fundraiser by partnering with the Komen Foundation, an organization dedicated to breast cancer research. Held each October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the event invited athletes’ parents to make donations based on the number of seconds shaved off runner’s best times.

“Every year, I’ve partnered with Komen Foundation to raise money for their cause,” Chen said. “Six years ago, my daughter’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and two years later it was my own mom. Komen has always been grateful for this fundraiser since we always combined it with the HOKA Postals Two Mile event.”

Several runners achieved standout performances and personal bests. Senior Emily Bryan dropped 35 seconds to run 12:54, while junior Axel Szolusha led the team with a time of 10:16, improving by 34 seconds. Junior Ava Alvarez also cut 34 seconds to finish in 12:26. Sophomore Michael Petrov and frosh Sophie Shen each made large time drops of 53 and 42 seconds, respectively. 

Michael praised the team’s pacing strategy, noting how everyone in his heat managed to finish the second mile faster than the first. 

“Everyone ran negative splits, which was insane, and trying to stick with them helped me run a better time,” Michael said. “The two mile is a good way to train speed since it’s not as long as a 5K, so I’m more confident running at a higher speed.”

Athletes wore pink attire and wristbands to show their support for the cause. Ava felt that the meet offered a valuable break from high-stakes league meets and the purpose behind it made it meaningful. 

“It was really fun and felt like a very low-stakes meet,” Ava said. “I thought it was really cool how they tied the running aspect with fundraising, and I’d love to see more meets like this.”

The cross country team competes next at WBAL #2 at Baylands on Oct. 29.