I love it when reality exceeds expectations.
Unseasonably warm weather greeted me as I climbed in the car at 8 a.m. and made my way to West City Park in Festus for the Jefferson County Activities Association cross country championships.
It was a morning I’d been looking forward to because of the matchup between rising star Kevin Koester of Hillsboro and his chief rival, Festus junior Max McDaniel.
I wondered if the actual race would live up to the hype that I personally had been creating with stories about the pair all season.
It did, and then some.
The race announcer gave those in attendance updates throughout the race and it was clear there was little separation between Koester and McDaniel.
Because of a barbecue event scheduled in the park that day, the course had been altered over the first 1,000 meters or so.
It didn’t matter. Koester and McDaniel were alone. Festus sophomore Jonah Krieg tried to maintain their blistering pace as the temperature climbed, but he never got closer than a minute behind them after the first mile on the 3.1-mile layout.
As the duo became visible to the throngs of spectators, they were almost shoulder to shoulder as they had been for almost the entire race.
There was a hairpin turn right before both runners faced the finish line about 100 yards away. Both broke into a sprint. McDaniel led for a split second. But Koester surged ahead mere yards from the finish and won the race in 16:32.99, less than a second faster than McDaniel.
Both of these fitness freaks refused to collapse after such a grueling competition. They accepted slaps on the back and well wishes and tried to stay within their own thoughts of what had just happened.
There weren’t any fist bumps or any other usual ways athletes like to celebrate after winning a title.
Koester was humble.
“It’s pretty nice to be the best in the county,” he said.
McDaniel was brutally honest.
“He had more strength in the end than me,” he said. “I didn’t have it in the last 10 yards.”
Before the season began, cross country observers knew that McDaniel was one of the top runners in the state, as evident by two fourth-place finishes in Class 3. Koester was more of a wildcard because although he was competitive last season, he wasn’t winning races.
“I’ve been putting in good miles and my legs haven’t felt too bad,” said Koester, who won’t compete against McDaniel anymore this year because the Hawks are in Class 4 and Festus will compete in Class 3.
McDaniel said the pair ran the first mile Saturday in about 5 minutes and he was feeling “incredible” about his race. Then his lungs started to burn.
“During the second mile, he started pushing hard and I started hurting pretty bad,” McDaniel said. “The pain tolerance wasn’t really there. I tried to take the lead on some hills. On the third mile, I tried to stay with him. I tried to pass him a couple of times in the woods, but he was always there.”
Festus head coach Bryant Wright has guided the Tigers to three straight state titles and his teams and runners have been a dominant force in the sport for a decade. Even Wright couldn’t remember such a competitive pair of runners like Koester and McDaniel.
“Kevin has turned himself into an elite runner this year,” Wright said. “If he can put together a good district and state, he’ll be up there with the best runners I’ve seen. I’m highly impressed with that he’s done. He was just better than Max today. It’s amazing to watch what he’s doing.”
Because they raced in such close proximity on Saturday, I wondered if contact played a role as they jockeyed for position.
“I try to find the best line I can,” Koester said. “It’s not ethical if you bump someone a lot. If he taps me, I don’t care. I hope he feels the same.”
Wright said it’s hard to tell what goes on when the runners are out of sight. It’s not like the other sports, where a referee or umpire is watching your every move.
“That’s between those two because nobody else can see it,” Wright said. “You’re breathing down each other’s necks. It was a great race and fun to watch.”
Herculaneum head coach Kyle Davis was on the course urging his Blackcats onward and he said he marveled at the competition between Koester and McDaniel.
“That’s exciting,” Davis said. “From a guy who’s not their coach, just being a spectator, and watching them the last few years, they seem like good guys and it’s fun seeing two good kids battle it out. It’s good for the sport in this area and what we’ve come to expect of this sport in Jefferson County.”