Cross country isn't a glamour sport. Just ask Pine Forest High's Dominic Dalton.

"I've been running up to 60 miles a week over the summer," said Dalton, a 6-foot-2 junior who finished 34th at the state meet last year. "My goal is to be in the top five (at state), and I want to be able to beat some of my best competitors and rivals. To run 15:55 (15 minutes, 55 seconds in 3.1-mile course) is my goal this year."

As area teams begin their season next week, runners will be glad they put in all that hard work. In District 1-3A, the competition again figures to be strong.

The district includes Washington, Gulf Breeze, Pine Forest, and Navarre, all of which return some of the area's top runners. Girls defending state champion Tallahassee Chiles also is in this district.

The Pine Forest teams could emerge from tough competition.

The Eagles girls will be led by Darroneisha Lott and Crystal Wachob, who was the News Journal's girls athlete of the year in 2008.

Wachob finished 13th at state last year, and Lott took 29th. The pair have been running about 15 to 16 miles a week over the summer.

"Me and Darroneisha, we hope to make it to state individually again. And if we have a good team, we hope we make it to state as a group," Wachob said. "My goal is to be in the top 10 at state, and I think (Lott) can make the top 10, too."

Pine Forest coach Paul Bryan is counting on his top runners competing again at the state level.

"I would certainly expect Dominic will make it back to the state meet," Bryan said. "I also know that Darroneisha and Crystal will make it back to the state meet. But we have a really tough job because our district has Chiles in it, and on the girls side, Chiles was state champion last year."

But Pine Forest has more to worry about than Chiles.

Washington will be led junior Peter Fricke, who was on the News Journal's first team in cross country last year.