Staff photo / John Vargo Canfield’s Delaney O’Brien, left, and Nick Plant will run in the state cross country meet.

The last thing Delaney O’Brien wants is to relax her efforts.

The Canfield High School freshman distance runner knows she must hone her skills outside the competitive 3.1-mile course.

She, along with sophomore Nick Plant, plan to test their talents in their respective Division I state cross country races Saturday at National Trail Raceway in Hebron. Both qualified for state as individuals.

“I think you have to remember you get out of it what you put into it,” said O’Brien, who hopes to beat her personal best of 19:24 on Saturday. “If you go out and run when everyone else isn’t, you’re getting better. That’s what really helps you in the long run.”

Canfield cross country coach Mike Dahmen knows putting in the extra work makes for a successful distance runner.

“That means a ton (when) you show up consistently, do the right things and put in the right amount of work,” Dahmen said. “You can be competing at that stage both the guys and girls side. Definitely a positive step here.”

Dahmen knows about hard work. He ran for former Maplewood High School boys cross country coach Ted Rupe, whose teams won five of the school’s seven state titles. Rupe won the first one as an athlete in the early 1970s.

Dahmen said he learned early on those non-mandatory runs are essential to success — along with being consistent daily and weekly.

“When you put all those days, weeks and months together, special things can happen,” Dahmen said.

Not running, even when he doesn’t feel like it, is something Plant cannot do.

“I just know I have to do it,” said Plant, who hopes to run less than 16 minutes on Saturday. “If I don’t do it, I’m just going to regret it. I know I’m getting better by going out and running, doing workouts on my own.”