WASHINGTON, Mo. – Kirk Smith found himself in an unusual spot at the Borgia Invitational.
The John Burroughs junior has had a fairly successful season, but Saturday on the Big Driver course was the first time he faced district foes Cody Medler of Ladue and Amos Bartelsmeyer of MICDS. Smith wanted to use the race to gauge where he stood in comparison and help him devise a strategy for the district meet.
Near the two-mile mark, Smith had worked his way through the field and found himself running next to Bartelsmeyer. He paused for a moment and then decided to attempt a pass on the long hill.
“I was hesitant to pass him because I know how fast he is, and I was like, ‘He has some plan or something,’” Smith said. “But halfway up I decided to go for it, and I passed him, and I think I moved up on Cody a bit, but not enough to close the gap.”
Medler went on to win the race in 16:47. Smith took second with a 17:02, and Bartelsmeyer was third in 17:04.
Smith said he felt weird about challenging two runners he respects. He is aware of what kind of performances and times both Bartelsmeyer and Medler are capable of, which is why Smith had to play a little bit of a mind game with himself before he could generate the confidence to pass Bartelsmeyer and test whether he belonged in the mix at the front of the race.
“It’s definitely a little weird,” Smith said. “This season I’ve been in a place I’m not used to, which is at the front. I have to get a little confidence, and after each race I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m at that level, and I can make those types of moves now.’ Steadily, I’m getting more confident about being at the front of a race.”
Saturday’s runner-up finish, which was Smith’s third second-place finish of the season, also might have forced him to refigure his race strategy for the Class 3 District 2 race in two weeks.
“I might change my game plan a little to go out a little faster and try to stick with him from the start instead of trying to close on him throughout the whole race,” Smith said. “It’s a learning experience to see where I fit in my districts.”
Smith is especially focused on his district race this year after failing to advance last season. As a sophomore, he was running at Jefferson Barracks for the second time in a month, but for some reason at districts he hit a wall. He finished nearly 20 seconds slower than he had during the Hancock Invitational, and he had no explanation for the slip in performance.
Smith said he was sitting near 14th place in the last half mile when his body decided to rebel and his legs gave out.
“I was granny-shuffling up, and it was bad,” Smith said. “I got passed by this pack of guys and got 17th. This year I’m trying to make it a different story.
“I was really frustrated afterwards. There wasn’t anything that I could come up with, and I kind of concluded that it was just an off day. I wasn’t overly anxious; I got good sleep; I ate well. I don’t know. I was feeling good, and right at that last half mile, I just locked up.”
That performance has served as Smith’s motivation all season. He has been targeting not just a redemption run at districts, but he has set his sights on an all-state performance after that. After races like the Borgia Invitational, Smith has gained the confidence to go with his drive.
“That experience gave me a lot of patience because I was frankly pretty (upset) about it. I’ve been trying to think about that to motivate me this season.”