Bickerton is the newest winner of the WCCA County Cross Country Championship, with the second place runner being as far as 150 yards behind at one point in the race. Bickerton won with a time of 17:03.

            Running this 5-K race (3.1 miles), Bickerton “felt good” about himself during this race. He said the first two miles he ran at a 5:12 pace, but when the third mile came, he slowed down.

“It was challenging because the third mile was up a very long steep hill,” he said.

Mr. Zach Cavalier, along with Coach Don Gilpin, gives Bickerton his own freedom at cross country practices after school.

“I give him flexibility in his practice because he is elite in terms of his ability and drive,” said coach Cavalier.

Bickerton has been training for many years for opportunities like these. With this being his first big win, he hopes this is a stepping stone to his other accomplishments in the future.

“I went in hoping to win,” he said. “I knew there were other kids in the race that had potential to win. It was just a matter of hanging on and pushing through some pain.”

With a course like this, Bickerton said he would could agree with world class cyclist Greg Lemonds, who said: “It doesn’t get easier, you just have to go faster.”

Bickerton said that every level of running, whether it being elite high school running, NCCA running, or the world elite runners, “you have to train just as hard. In order to get to these rounds you must train seven days a week,” he said.

            “Training is not easy, but it pays off in the end, and every runner knows that there are other kids that can beat you,” he said. “But if you get the right training and race with the right kids you’ll run fast.”