As spectators watched more than one hundred runners settle in and establish their groove, one thing became abundantly clear. There would be no settling at the front.
A Las Cruces Digest Report
By Levi Gwaltney, Editor
Cover Photo Courtesy NMAA via Facebook
Corbin Coombs, the Organ Mountain senior who has garnered much attention over the past few months, traveled to Albuquerque for the 2024 Cross Country State Championships. The main question on the minds of those who follow, “Would he take first place, this year?” Standing squarely in his path were the Rams of Rio Rancho, a nationally ranked cross country team fronted by fellow senior, Charlie Vause.
The short of it is simple. Corbin Coombs crossed the finish line of the Albuquerque Academy course one and a half seconds before Vause. The first place medal now belongs to a runner from a public high school in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Even with the running tradition of the school, the Hall of Fame coach, and the support of the community–any runner from “the south” who performs well in Albuquerque will initially be labeled an aberration. Student athletes from our broader community have never outperformed the stigma of rising from what many see as a “second-rate city” in New Mexico. Defying the stigma, Corbin Coombs overcame expectations and hype to gut out an extra second… enough to take the prize.
Of course, there is more to the story...
Casual observers may see distance running as a deeply individual sport. It is, from its inception, an individual’s will to run the course. For many (myself included), the idea of lacing up some sneakers and embarking on 15 to 20 minutes of focused physical exertion is about as personal as an endeavor can be. While this may be true, the sport of Cross Country can be much more than that. Not to diminish Coombs’ accomplishment, but he did not stand alone against the entire Rio Rancho team. True, he wears the first place medal, but his team played a part in his success. In particular, fellow Knight Jeron Wisner merits recognition.
Going into the final race of the season, it was clear to see the dominance of the Rio Rancho team, but Coombs and Wisner had managed to capture a one-two finish on the same Albuquerque Academy course just a few weeks prior. In the Extravaganza, Coombs and Wisner ushered in the next four runners, all from Rio Rancho. Rio Rancho’s Charlie Vause and Cody Sullivan, the Ram’s two top runners, would likely respond to their recent defeat by adjusting tactics for the State Championship run.
For most of the season, runners are afforded the space to find a pace and a “groove” in which to run. From the sounding of the gun, it does not take long for the field to spread, each runner finding himself somewhat alone with his thoughts and strategy. The 2024 State Championship was a different animal, altogether. In the Class 5A final, the top runners formed a crowd that lasted most of the race, and running in a crowd is much different than finding that personal groove. Whatever strategy Rio Rancho’s Vause and Sullivan had devised, it was met with Coombs and Wisner’s undaunted desire to win.
The First Split
Just a few days before the championship run, northern New Mexico was hit with a winter storm that powdered the roads with snow and ice. The weather had cleared enough to leave championship play unaltered. Still, the brisk morning air and freshly thawed ground in Albuquerque made for a more difficult course to run than just a few weeks prior. By race time, the temperature was well below what the Las Cruces runners were accustomed to.
At the sound of the pistol, a familiar jockeying took place as the field of 115 runners quickly sought to find their place, and make some space for the course ahead. As spectators watched more than one hundred runners settle in and establish their groove, one thing became abundantly clear. There would be no settling at the front.
Having lost a few weeks prior, Rio Rancho’s Vause set out to capture the lead position early. For most of the season, running in front was Vause’s comfort zone. Organ Mountain’s Jeron Wisner was having none of it. Coombs and Sullivan were also hot on the leaders heels. At the first split, less than half a second separated the top four runners, with Vause and Wisner locked in a dead heat. [Vause (05:06.20), Wisner (05:06.20), Coombs (05:06.40) and Sullivan (05:06.60)]
Five minutes. For five minutes these four runners stuck to each other as if bound by forces larger than themselves.
The Second Split
Ha! It is laughable to say one of these runners “fell off pace” when less than three seconds separated the four leaders at the second split. Rio Rancho’s Sullivan did just that, while the other three in front of him still ran locked with less than half a second between them. Vause had finally captured the lead, as if two tenths of a second could provide comfort. Wisner remained on Vause’s heels, and Coombs on Wisner’s. [Vause (10:07.00), Wisner (10:07.20), Coombs (10:07.40) and Sullivan (10:09.80)]
Ten minutes. For ten minutes these runners listened the cacaphony of feet beating the same surface around them in disonnant rhythm, or worse, similar rhythm but never quite in unison. For ten minutes these student athletes traveled through space and time, closer in proximity to each other than strangers seated economy class on the redeye to Vegas. Something, or someone, had to give.
The Finish
In the end, Corbin Coombs out kicked his competitors. Vause finished less than two seconds behind. It would be a full seventeen seconds until Sullivan and Wisner would cross the line, with Sullivan besting Wisner by less than two seconds. It would take another 25 seconds, still, for the next two Rio Rancho runners to complete the course.
Corbin Coombs is the 2024 New Mexico State Champion in Class 5A Cross Country. Congratulations!
As a team, Organ Mountain High School finished second to Rio Rancho, but team tallies can be a fickle representation of the teamwork inherent in what could otherwise be seen as a deeply pesonal individual event. Yes, Corbin Coombs is an individual champion, but one would be hard pressed to overlook the contributions made by Wisner and his other teammates toward his victory.
Early in the season, one runner was overheard when speaking with his coach. “The hardest part of the course is when I am farthest away from everyone and it gets quiet,” he explained. “It’s hard to fight the lonliness.” Very few sports, if any, list lonliness as an obstacle to overcome when competing, and I would not have understood this idea nearly as well had I not written about this race. Ten minutes in lockstep alone with the competition is certainly a challenge a runner might face. Add a teammate, and (doubtless) a friend, to the mix, and lonliness ceases to be a factor. At that point, a runner is free to compete, doing what they have trained to do all season… run.
Congratulations!
Las Cruces Digest would like to extend our best to all of the student athletes in our broader community who ran Cross Country. I learned throughout this season that Cross Country is a sport unlike any other. Unlike other sports, the competition rarely is between other athletes; runners compete against time. Any such endeavor should be commended, and each athlete’s individual successes recognized. Congratulations!
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