KALISPELL — Ada Thiel and Lauren Bissen are the top two girls runners in the Class AA ranks, and they both come from Kalispell Glacier.
In the final seconds of the state cross country race, the junior Bissen was overtaken by her freshman teammate Thiel, but there was no bad blood between the two.
“I was not only surprised, but I was like, 'Oh wow, OK,' because it was just really a split second before the end of the race,” Bissen said. “So there wasn't a lot of time for reaction, so in that moment, I was like, 'Wow, that's great, that was a good race.'”
WATCH THE VIDEO TO HEAR FROM THIEL AND BISSEN:
The two have been running with each other all year, and Bissen took Thiel under her wing at the start of the season and carried that dynamic all the way to state.
"It's cool because I get to see the training side of her and then I also get to see the racing side of her,” Bissen said. “Just to be there and be challenged and know that we're both in it together was really special.”
For Thiel, having a top runner like Bissen as a pace setter in her first year with the team helped her realize her full potential.
“It's really, really great to have someone that's your pace to train with, and so I feel like you kind of grow together and you get better and you're always being able to push each other,” Thiel said. “I was so grateful that she was at there at state with me, and she really pulled me through that race.”
Now, knowing that Glacier’s top two runners will return next year, these two hope to add team accolades to their accomplishments after the Glacier Girls took fourth place in the team standings at State.
“I really do think next year we'll have the ability to just get better and that we'll be able to get top three,” Thiel said. “I think we just have to work hard and really train our hardest and work together, especially.”
