With only grass separating him from the finish line and a statement win at last Saturday’s Nike Cross Nationals regionals in Wappingers Falls, NY, North Rockland’s Claudel Chery made a final push to take the boys New York Federation Championship 5K in 15:41.7 by a razor thin margin.
What followed was an instant journey of emotion that still did not seem real even as the frantic kick to the line unfolded.
Photographer Kaelem Christopher weaved through the course as the race unfolded and captured candid images that are better seen than described. The scene he illustrated was one of many that played out as the meet built up to its most tense moments of what teams advanced and the tales of those left to carry moral victories.
