It was early morning.

The air was cold.

The wind was strong.

The course was hilly.

This is exactly how senior Cross Country runner Ean Thielbar likes his races.

On November 9, Thielbar competed in his last high school Cross Country meet. The meet was the mother of all cross country courses, the state course.

“I usually say ‘there is always something I wish I could have done better’,” Thielbar said, “but I regret nothing about cross country at all, especially this season.”

The state meet was held at Oak Hill Golf Course in Jefferson City, a course known for its difficult hills.

Thielbar managed to finish the race with an impressive and respectable time of 18 minutes and 12 seconds.

“My only regret was not being more involved with the team freshman year,” Thielbar said. “I just love this cross country team so much and even though we are not the top team in the state, we are probably the team with the most heart.”

The winner of the state meet this year was senior Noah Kauppila from Marquette High School who set a course record of 15 minutes and 12 seconds.

The winning team at state this year was Saint Louis University High School with a total team score of 103. This is the second year in a row the SLUH boys team has won the state meet.

If there is anything cross country had taught Thielbar, it is that giving it your all is the greatest thing you can give towards something.

“Running is an all or nothing sport and if i don’t give it my all, the race is not worth it,” Thielbar said. “Luckily this last race was worth it.”

It was noon. The course was clear.

The wind had died down.

The race had ended.

Although he had not won, senior Ean Thielbar still had got what he wanted, giving it his all.