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Beyond the Finish Line

Elation. Nerves swell, sound disappears, focused, the sound of footing, you coil, pop.

5 kilometers to go.

Dangerously close. Stride for stride. Slowly fragmented. Mile for Mile.

A high school athlete in a white jersey grimaces as she runs the final stretch of the WIAA state cross-country race, with a crowd blurred in the background.

This is what 'nothing left' looks like.

The final stretch. Quads burning. Lungs on fire. The crowd roars.

A volunteer puts their hand on your shoulder and ushers you out of the way. That’s it.

A collapsed athlete is helped by a coach on the WIAA mat, capturing the exhaustion 'beyond the finish line' at the state championship.
  • A young female athlete in a maroon and black sleeveless sports jersey with the number 1936 on her race bib, looking down with a focused expression after a race, with a woman in the background at an outdoor running event.
  • Two athletes, one in a red uniform and the other in a blue uniform, are outdoors under a partly cloudy sky, with the athlete in blue appearing to be coached or consoling the athlete in red.
  • A woman wearing a black athletic outfit and colorful running shoes is kneeling on green grass, leaning forward with her hands on the ground. She has long dark hair tied with a red ribbon, wears several bracelets and a watch, and appears to be in a moment of rest or stretching during outdoor exercise.
  • Young male runner in black and purple sportswear smiling outdoors with a purple tent and a tree with orange leaves in the background.
  • Female cross country runner finishing a race, wearing a red uniform from White River High School, with a race number 2030, on a sunny day outdoors.
  • Large crowd of people standing in a park, some sitting and some standing, in front of a grassy area with trees and houses in the background, on a sunny day.

Russell Moore Photography

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