POCATELLO – Pinedale High School junior Cora Koci traveled with the Jackson Hole High School (JHHS) cross-country team to compete at the prestigious Nike Hole in the Wall XC Invitational near Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, Oct. 7.

Temperatures climbed into the 80s during race day, creating difficult racing conditions for each division, said Head JHHS Coach Jeff Brazil.

“They say that heat is the poor man’s elevation, and we found it to be true,” Brazil added.

The athletes in Koci’s division attacked the first mile with energy, with and Koci and her teammate Aubrey Maestas finding their pace with runners from across the region.

The heat began to take a toll on the runners by the second mile, said Brazil.

Koci finished in the middle of the pack, posting a solid time of 24 minutes, 10 seconds on the 5-kilometer course.