Gregori’s Ruiz, Bret Harte’s Dishion are Bee’s Runners of the Year

There’s a T-shirt popular among runners that taunts other athletes with the phrase, “My sport is your sport’s punishment” printed on the back.

Indeed, cross country runners don’t need to be told, “Take a lap!” by an angry coach. They choose to run.

It’s their choice to run 50 to 60 miles a week. It’s their choice to get up early, before the sun rises and gasoline fumes foul the air, to do what other athletes try so hard to avoid.

It’s what makes them different from other athletes.

And what made Gregori’s Santiago Cruz and Bret Harte’s Kaela Dishion different from other cross country runners was their season-long consistency and their performance in the postseason.

For their efforts this season, they’ve been named the Stanislaus District’s boys and girls cross country Runners of the Year for 2016.

Ruiz, a junior, was an aspiring wrestler when he entered Gregori in 2014, but didn’t want to wait until the winter to compete.

“I wanted to do a fall sport coming into high school,” said Ruiz, who won the Modesto Metro Conference championship this season. “I asked my mom if I could play football. Maybe? She said, ‘No, you should stick to running, like your brother’.”

Ruiz’s older brother Ladis Ruiz ran for Gregori and their mother knew the injury rate is far higher in football and wrestling than in cross country.

“I’m so glad that I did,” said Ruiz. “I made all my best friends from running. I’m really happy.”

After winning an MMC title, Ruiz was 17^th at the Sac-Joaquin Sub-Section meet at Frogtown in Angels Camp with a time of 16 minutes, 43.8 seconds. At the section meet in Folsom, he was eighth among Division I runners with a 16:35.3 clocking. Two weeks later at the state meet in Fresno, he finished 61^st with a 16:14.3.

Despite shaving 21 seconds off his time, he wasn’t happy with his state performance.

“At the Rough Rider Invitational, which was also at Woodward Park, I ran my PR (16:10),” said Ruiz, speaking of the preseason race hosted by Fresno’s Roosevelt High. “I think I was a bit overwhelmed at state.”

That happens to many runners. The size of the field alone cane make things difficult.

“I usually run at a relaxed pace for a mile and a quarter and then I take off,” said Ruiz, who has a PR of 4:35 in the mile. “I couldn’t really do that because there were so many people. I was concentrating on getting around them rather than picking it up.”

Dishion, also a junior, didn’t face the same problem in the girls Division IV state championship race since she was among the leaders. She finished ninth and landed on the podium for the first time in her career.

One of the runners unable to catch Dishion was Sonora junior Cassi Land, who was Runner of the Year the past two seasons. Land was sick with the flu during the week leading up to the state meet and failed to hit the medal stand for the first time.

“It felt kind of weird being in a race where she wasn’t with me, or right in front of me, the whole time,” said Dishion.

Dishion and Land, training partners who both run for the Foothill Gold club, have been battling one another since entering high school. This year was no different.

Dishion won the sub-section meet on her home course, whipping Land by 72 seconds, but Land came back to nip Dishion by nearly 10 seconds in the section meet for her third straight crown.

“At sections, we had a really close race,” said Dishion. “We were both pretty tired from subs, but I think I just waited too long to make my move. I don’t have a kick like she does and I so I have to make my move earlier.”

Dishion, a resident of Murphys, believes that living and training in the foothills gives her an advantage over flatlanders.

“I started running competitively in the seventh grade,” she said. “Our teacher used to make us do timed miles and mine was always the fastest for girls, so I just decided to keep running.

“I think running hills definitely helps us, especially at places like state, where there are one or two hills that are very hard.”

But why do Ruiz and Dishion want to run? What makes them keep getting out there in the summer heat and winter chill?

“Just knowing that I’m going to thank myself later,” said Dishion. “I don’t want to say, ‘Wow, I wish I’d trained harder.’ I’m doing the training now so I won’t have to say that to myself after races.”

Ruiz has a different reason.

“I think running, in general, is an escape from everything,” he said. “During a long run on Saturday, 11 miles, I’ll think, ‘I’m not tired at all; I’m enjoying this.’ That’s what keeps me going: the love of the sport.”

This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Gregori’s Ruiz, Bret Harte’s Dishion are Bee’s Runners of the Year."