Kubasaki freshman Billi Readinger heads for the finish line and the Okinawa district girls cross country title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

CAPE ZANPA, Okinawa – Neither Sebastian Praske nor Billi Readinger felt they ran their best. But the Kadena senior and Kubasaki sophomore emerged victorious, capturing their respective individual titles in Wednesday’s Okinawa district cross country finals.

Praske, a transfer from Camp Lejeune, N.C., completed an undefeated season, clocking the 3.12-mile Cape Zanpa beachside trail course in 17 minutes, 33.38 seconds. Readinger, a freshman, did likewise for the girls, clocking 22:49.46.

They each said after the race that they’re hoping to beat their own personal bests during next week’s DODEA-Pacific Far East meet, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday at Misawa Air Base in northern Japan.

“I’ll try,” Praske said, noting he was well off his personal best time of 16:56.7 for this season, set on Sept. 20 at Kubasaki.

Kadena senior Sebastian Praske heads for the finish line and the Okinawa district boys cross country title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

A bit of a concern, Praske said, is the cooler weather at Misawa. “Exerting myself in the cold … I get asthma,” he said. “I’ll just have to see. Hopefully, it’s not too cold.”

The forecast high for both days at Misawa is 66 degrees.

Readinger, too, was off her personal best of 21:45.5, set a week earlier at Kubasaki. “I’m aiming for at least 21:30,” Readinger said.