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INUVIK
This is a club bidding to become a runaway success.

The East Three cross-country team members are Matthew Skinner, front. Second row, from left to right, Ben Kaufman, Darcie Setzer, Karly King-Simpson, Alex Skinner, Jackson Christie, Deklen Crocker, Braden Picek, Deirdre Dimitroff (Coach). Third row, from left to right, MacKenzie McDonald, Kenzie MacDonald (Coach), Kyla Hvatum, Alex Robertson, Flynn Perry, Winter Allen. Back row, from left to right, Kristan Harder, Julienne Chipesia, Danny Kaye, Jovian, Taylor, Brian Kudlak, River Ross Kaidan McDonald. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

The East Three Secondary School cross-country running team has started its second season with what looks like a bumper crop of youth eager to be fast and furious.

The team has been coached by education assistant Kenzie MacDonald since its inception last year.

Currently, it features more than 20 runners hoping for a trip to Yellowknife in early October for the primary meet of the season.

Training for those students means pounding the pavement and the trails around Inuvik, even when the weather isn't so forgiving.

"Yeah, they're not going to be too enthusiastic about running outside today," MacDonald said with a hint of a smile Sept. 16.

The weather was cold and blustery, with the threat of snow in the air.

One runner popped by to ask the coach where they were practising that day.

"We're going to do laps around the school," MacDonald told him.

The student frowned, looked outside and then blurted "OK, I have a volleyball practice" as he bolted for the warm confines of the gym.

"I saw that coming," MacDonald said with a poorly-suppressed smile.

Persuading the team members to practise outside is one of the more challenging aspects of running the club, he acknowledged readily. His argument, though, relies on implacable logic and simplicity.

"I tell them they can either get used to it now before an actual race, or they can try to get used to it during the race," he said. "Which do you think is more difficult?"

One of the unexpected difficulties in training the runners is simply a lack of equipment, even though the sport doesn't require much.

Many of the students, MacDonald said, don't have extra sets of footwear to tackle the inclement conditions. They might have only one pair of runners and another pair for everyday use, he said, which can be difficult for training them on varied terrain.

It's also the reason why the club doesn't extend its training season into the winter, even though the ice road would present a unique and ready-made course.

"Yeah, you won't see many runners out in the winter," he said. "I know I don't even want to go to work when it's -35 or -40."

Simply breathing in those cold temperatures while exercising is a monumental challenge, MacDonald added.

He has the budget and room to travel with six runners to the Yellowknife meet in October, which means there is some heated competition in a short-time span for athletes to impress him and his co-coach.

"Some of the kids are surprising me," he said. "So that's good."

Not surprisingly, many team members are also members of the spring track and field team.

Deklen Crocker, a returning student on the team, said he didn't much like running when he started, but he's enjoying it more now.

River Ross joined the team this year.

"This is my first year. I joined because I wanted to improve my cardio for the Arctic Winter Games," he said. "I don't really like running ... I don't enjoy it that much. If I had a choice I probably wouldn't do it."

Jovian Pokiak, a Grade 8 student, who is a returning member had a different take on the sport.

"I do like to run," he said. "I like running outside, even in the cold."

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