Eager runners often acheive tunnel vision as they reach the final stages of a race.

Approaching the closing 200 meters of the Class 2A girls cross country state meet, Kaneland sophomore Victoria Clinton was no different. Still, she had to pick out that pine tree before fully homing in.

A subtle landmark at Peoria’s Detweiller Park brought Clinton home to an individual state title on Nov. 3. Once she had passed it, crossed the finish line before anyone else and greeted a throng of well-wishers, the Kane County Chronicle Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year began gaining her wits.