Eleanor Raker, a junior at Galena High in Nevada and a two-time 5A state cross country champion along with the reigning Gatorade girls cross country state runner of the year, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss competing in the Bill Buettner girls championship race Oct. 7 at the 44th ASICS Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park in Fresno. Raker analyzes the opportunities for several Nevada athletes and teams to perform at the ASICS Clovis Invitational and appreciates the chance to race against elite California competitors in preparation for the postseason. She revisits sweeping the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter titles in May at the Nevada 5A state track and field championships, along with finishing fourth in June in the 5,000 meters in 16:50.01 at Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Raker examines how significant her summer triathlon schedule was in preparing her for the fall cross country season and the confidence she gained from both her track and triathlon success. She explains how meaningful it has been to have her freshman brother Oliver as part of the Galena cross country program this fall, along with how beneficial it has been to train with the members of the boys varsity team, which has aspirations of winning a 5A state team title. Raker also expresses gratitude for the support of her family and Galena girls coach Jeff Mann in helping her with training and preparing for competition, along with balancing her mountain biking and swimming workouts. She also speaks about the improvement of the Galena girls varsity lineup and how much Raker is looking forward to competing against reigning 5A champion Carson and runner-up Bishop Manogue at the state championship meet. Raker shares how beneficial it was for her to compete last season at both NXR Southwest in Arizona, as well as the CHAMPS Sports (now Foot Locker) West Regional at Mt. SAC in California, and what she learned from those experiences in her pursuit of qualifying for a national final in December. She also highlights how instrumental the presence of her sports psychologist has been in helping Raker understand how to communicate about pre-race anxiety and managing her emotions ahead of her competition.