It takes a rare cross country runner to reach the end of a 5,000-meter race and see 14 minutes on the clock.

Cohen Butler saw that multiple times this season. But running blazing-fast times wasn’t the biggest thrill for the Camas senior.

Winning races drove Butler. Breaking course records was just an extra benefit during what was the most outstanding performance by any Northwest high school runner this season.

“The times are awesome, but the win shows more about your fitness and who you’re competing against,” Butler said.

Butler capped his high school cross country career by breaking the Class 4A record at the state meet by nearly 10 seconds. His time of 14 minutes, 47.9 seconds on Nov. 8 in Pasco was the sixth-fastest time across all classifications in state meet history.

On Oct. 11

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