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Canfield’s Plant perseveres in 2020

Staff photo / John Vargo Canfield’s Nick Plant finished fifth in the large schools boys race at the Billy Goat Challenge on Saturday.

BAZETTA — Wear the mask, socially distance, follow the new set of guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canfield High School junior Nick Plant is like any other high school cross country runner.

All he wants to do is go through a normal routine and run 3.1 miles around a course. Saturday, it was at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds.

Plant has been here before. He ran a 16:18.70 at last year’s The Legends Meet, a personal best.

Saturday, he placed fifth in the Billy Goat Invitational large-schools boys race in a time of 16:35.9.

The course looked a little different from past years. About 50 runners at a time went off on the first starter’s gun. The rest were staggered about a minute later to keep the runners distant, much different than in years past when a throng of runners would swarm the course. The orange timing chips interwoven on the runners’ shoelaces were programmed to account for the delayed starts.

This meet has been run at Woodland Park where the famed Billy Goat Hill resides, an incline of about 45 degrees that runners have to endure before finishing on a straightway inside a shaded park.

This year’s race was run at an open, sunny and socially distant Fairgrounds where runners had to weave through a much flatter and faster course.

The year 2020 poses its challenges with when to wear a mask and not to wear one as far as athletics are concerned. Team huddles are discouraged as well as interacting with other runners in a sport that is social by nature. Weird times for sure.

“Can’t really talk to anyone,” Plant said. “It’s weird warming up with masks and stuff. It’s just annoying, really. I can’t freely go and do stuff. You have to carry around that mask all the time. It’s tough.”

Canfield cross country coach Eric O’Brien said runners like Plant persevere through these times. Plant qualified for last year’s Division I state meet.

“The big thing we’ve talked about at the beginning of the year is flexibility,” O’Brien said. “He’s adapted to that. He’s realized my routine might not be the same, but I’m going to have to adapt to it. That’s a true sign of a healthy athlete, someone who can adapt.

“Everyone out here has been able to do that. That’s great to see.”

Distance-running is a solitary sport as well, putting in countless hours and miles prior to the season.

O’Brien said Plant has done that prior to this unique season.

“The thing about Nick is he works,” O’Brien said. “Throughout COVID and all the spring, he was doing what he needed to do. During the summer, he’s putting his miles in. He’s been leading the team in practices. He’s been a competitor. He works at being a competitor. That’s why he’s succeeding.”

Plant said he had a bit of cramp during Saturday’s race, but pushed through.

His goal this season is to get back to state and break his personal-best time.

“Go sub-16,” Plant said. “Go far to state, if that’s a thing.”

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