By Asek Wheeler, Grade 11 and Eva Aijan Grant, Grade 12
On the 11th and 12th of October BIS hosted the annual Central Asian cross-country tournament: CAFA XC. Tienshan International School, Hope Academy Bishkek, Almaty International School, Tashkent International School, QSI Bishkek, and Silk Road Academy participated in the runs as well as our Taigans.
Four races took place over two days, with a 4km run and team relay race on the first day, followed by a 5km run for varsity and a 3km run for JV on the second day. The runners learned the grit and determination needed to overcome the hardships of long-distance running. Their motivation coupled with their fast speeds impressed all spectators.
Although the weather was sunny on the first day, it turned dark, wet, and cold on the next. The cross-country course was uneven and muddy with many divots and hills, often going through the dark woods of Kara-Jygach Park. For most of the course, the runners were in complete solitude with nothing but their thoughts, adding to the challenge of the race.
All of our Taigan age groups put up good competition and received third places in the U19 relay race and the U19 girls team trophy. With over 15 runners across the 4 categories, they all ran as fast as possible, but unfortunately, none won individual medals. All age categories achieved impressive speeds with U15 girls at 5.5 minutes per km, U15 boys and U19 girls all running at a good average pace of 5 minutes per km, and U19 boys at 4 minutes per km.
Overall the event brought students, coaches, and parents from many different countries together, showing the true competitiveness and sportsmanship of the CAFA community!
Thank you to every student, teacher, coach and parent who came all the way to the Kara-Jygach Park and made this CAFA XC magical!
Photos by Aydana Yunusbaeva, Grade 11 and Nina Solovieva, Grade 9