On a rainy fall Saturday in Eugene, some of the best Oregon high school runners braved the elements to compete for a state cross country championship. The course traversed fields, hills, around ponds, and on to the track for the final stretch. I came prepared for the occasion with the finest rain gear for the cameras – plastic bags, tape, and rubber bands.  Somehow it all held together and I survived the monsoon later that night on the drive back to Bend.