That’s it. He broke it.

After months of straining his muscles, after running hundreds of miles, he did it. He saw the signs, but his aching legs didn’t stop

him. Finally, he did it.

He broke five minutes.

Although there is a possibility of breaking a bone in cross country, that isn’t what Hunter Sellers broke at one of his dual meets.

The junior was pushed by his friend to finish his varsity race strong, and to reach his goal of breaking five minutes with an average mile time of 4:57 over the course of three miles.

He was in eighth grade when he realized he was good at running — a 5:42 mile time was a sign that “(he) might be good.”

Sellers has had a lot of great moments in his running career, from running that mile in eighth grade to winning first place with the Stockton Saints in the Regional competition.

But running isn’t full of accomplishments. Sellers has had his share of setbacks.

Although he runs both cross country and track, Sellers enjoys cross country more because of the varying terrain; that combined with the packed groups of runners and dust kicked up by their shoes makes for an accident just waiting to happen. What comes next?

“All I heard was my foot get knocked and then my feet got tangled,” and the runner knew he was going down. The worst part?

This fall was at sub-section race.

However, that wasn’t the end of it. Sellers fell again due to his previous injury.

“Everybody that was behind me was now jumping over me, so I had to wait for my chance to get back up,” Sellers said. He also added that a fall crushes his spirit and can almost always ruin a race because then he must work his way back to the top.

“At the end of the race my arms and legs were covered with blood,” but he said the adrenaline rush after the fall masked the pain.

No matter how hard the fall or how great the accomplishment, Sellers continues to run.

“It’s addicting, it’s painful, but it teaches you how to tough it out and finish strong,” he said.

Running, he added, is all about the payoff at the end — his favorite part of a race — and the adrenaline starts to kick in and he must give it his all to finish strong.

He also argues that cross country is a team sport, and the only way the team will win a meet is by pushing each other.

“We wouldn’t be able to get faster without each other’s help,” he said.

Sellers is one of the top three varsity runners this year and relies on his teammates to do their job by giving their all. If they continue, they have a good chance of winning the league meet, and possibly going to sub-sections.

“Oh, we’re definitely going to win league,” said Richard Johnson, cross country coach. “And we’re probably going to sub-sections.”

No matter the outcome of this season, Sellers will continue to run.

Anyone who takes a stroll on the levee in front of the school has a good chance of seeing him running — running with the determination to beat his time again and again.

He probably won’t look at observers because he’ll be looking forward, looking at his target. The determination will push him throughout the course, and his favorite part will soon arrive — the finish.

This is where the adrenaline kicks in and the addict has no plans on stopping, not even after he passes the finish line.