After reading this thread I went and watched the state finish line video from 2022. Clearly that team was spent from their season. The number 4 runner almost came to a full stop before the line and flung herself over it and her knee was heavily taped as if it was injured and she raced through it. The number 5 runner ran more than a minute slower than her PR. And the 7th runner walked in slowly with her hands on her hips. Her knee was taped so she was injured before the race and raced with the injury. So yes these girls are racing through things and staggering over the line.
My daughter raced this team at Woodbridge and at the finish line there were two moms with the buchanan girls loudly complaining and blaming the coaches for how they placed in that meet. I heard them telling the girls that the HIIT workouts were killing them, they were doing way too much at practice, they don’t get enough rest and that the coaches don’t know how to have a racing strategy. One of the moms said they should go to the Colorado team that won because they were tired of the coaches not knowing how to coach. They were very angry and blaming the coaches-so I don’t think it’s all sunshine at Buchanan.