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Gabriel Quejada from Naples crosses the finish line at a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 29. He finished in fourth in a time of 18 minutes and 25 seconds.

Gabriel Quejada from Naples crosses the finish line at a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 29. He finished in fourth in a time of 18 minutes and 25 seconds. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

Gabriel Quejada from Naples crosses the finish line at a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 29. He finished in fourth in a time of 18 minutes and 25 seconds.

Gabriel Quejada from Naples crosses the finish line at a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 29. He finished in fourth in a time of 18 minutes and 25 seconds. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

William Davis from American Overseas School of Rome crosses the finish line at a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 29. He finished in second in a time of 17 minutes and 50 seconds.

William Davis from American Overseas School of Rome crosses the finish line at a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 29. He finished in second in a time of 17 minutes and 50 seconds. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

Benjamin Latimer, 15, a sophomore at Sigonella and originally from Jacksonville, Fla., crosses the finish line at a  5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 29. He finished in first with a time of 17 minutes and 47 seconds.

Benjamin Latimer, 15, a sophomore at Sigonella and originally from Jacksonville, Fla., crosses the finish line at a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 29. He finished in first with a time of 17 minutes and 47 seconds. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

High school boys from seven American high schools in Italy and Bahrain competed in a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 29.

High school boys from seven American high schools in Italy and Bahrain competed in a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 29. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

Alexa Patmore from Sigonella crosses the finish line at a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 29. She finished in third with a time of 21 minutes and 40 seconds.

Alexa Patmore from Sigonella crosses the finish line at a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 29. She finished in third with a time of 21 minutes and 40 seconds. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

Olivia Martel, a sophomore at Vicenza, crosses the finish line at a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 29. She finished in second with a time of 21 minutes and 37 seconds - 1 and a half minutes faster than her last best finish.

Olivia Martel, a sophomore at Vicenza, crosses the finish line at a 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 29. She finished in second with a time of 21 minutes and 37 seconds - 1 and a half minutes faster than her last best finish. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

Emily Rice, 14, a sophomore at Bahrain and originally from San Diego, crosses the finish line at a 5-kilomete, race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 29. She finished in first with a time of 20 minutes and 16 seconds.

Emily Rice, 14, a sophomore at Bahrain and originally from San Diego, crosses the finish line at a 5-kilomete, race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 29. She finished in first with a time of 20 minutes and 16 seconds. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

High school girls from seven American high schools from Italy and Bahrain competed in a cross country 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 29.

High school girls from seven American high schools from Italy and Bahrain competed in a cross country 5-kilometer race that took place at Lago Di Fimon, Vicenza, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 29. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

VICENZA, Italy – It was seemingly a perfect day for running Saturday on the banks of Lago Di Fimon.

And it wasn’t just that the weather felt nice. Many of the 93 students from seven American high schools competing set personal bests on the 5-kilometer course.

The forecast called for strong gusting winds for Saturday morning, but - to the runners’ delight - temperatures were in the mid-60s with a light wind as the sun peaked through trees along the lakeside.

The competition got started with the girls going first. There was a total of 39, with only two schools able to field a full team: Vicenza and Naples.

If a school fails to field a full team of five runners, that school can’t compete in the team portion, though runners can be awarded individual placings.

Emily Rice, a 14-year-old sophomore at Bahrain and originally from San Diego, won in a time of 20 minutes and 16 seconds. There was a 14 ½-minute separation between first and last.

“I felt like I did well today,” Rice said. “I was hoping to finish under 21 minutes, and I did. My goal is to qualify for the U.S. as an individual runner and be able to compete in the European championship, later this year in Germany.”

When the boys’ turn came, they were ready. They had been warming up for at least two hours before they got started and when the gun went off, they got off to a very fast start.

While runners were out on the course, family, friends and coaches all chatted about expectations.

Many were very aware that the top runner in Italy, Naples’ Daniel Aleksandersen, wasn’t present. That left a wide-open field.

Benjamin Latimer, 15, a sophomore from Sigonella and originally from Jacksonville, Fla., finished in first in 17:47.

“In the beginning of the race, I saw how all the boys got off to a crazy fast start and I thought to myself, calm down and run your own race,” Latimer said. “I knew that those who started so fast would eventually tire out and I would catch and pass them. I incrementally began to increase my pace and, in the end, that’s what worked for me today.”

By the end of the meet, more than a few racers ended up running better times than they had before.

“I think the weather was great,” Vicenza head coach Stacy Knappe said. “We expected to have fast finishing times today and that’s exactly what we got.

“As a team, we wanted to win, but we also wanted to improve our individual runner’s times. We wanted our top boy runner to finish under 19 minutes, and he did. We also wanted our girls to do great and our top girl runner finished in 21:37, a minute and a half faster than her last best finishing time.”

Llamas.norman@stripes.com

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Norman covers the U.S. military in Northern Italy and sometimes elsewhere for Stars and Stripes. He was born in Guatemala and raised in Rhode Island. He has more than 10 years of experience as an Army photojournalist and has served as a photojournalism instructor at the Defense Information School.

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