There are 2 popular running sports, track and cross country. As someone who’s done track, I’d say exhausting and that it requires you to really push yourself because you’re in direct competition with people who are often right beside you. Its long-distance cousin cross country is way harder, requires way more motivation, and causes significantly more exhaustion.

“XC differs from track because it is only one event, whereas track offers options from short to long distance, throws, and jumps,” said Coach K. These sports are similar in the fact that they both involve running, but that’s where the similarities end. XC (cross country) is purely running. Anybody can run, but not just anybody can outrun an XC runner. These people aren’t just fast, they’re fast for much longer periods of time than most track runners could accomplish. Let’s just say that if there was a horror movie with the two main protagonists running away from the antagonist, one is an XC runner, the other runs track, the XC runner is the most likely to get away in this scenario. “Cross country is a running sport in which you run 3.1 miles or 5 kilometers, cross country is in the countryside, mainly on grass, fields, hills, etc,  We do drills, such as small 5-minute runs to warm up our bodies, stretches to help with movement and flexibility, and sprints to keep our heart rate up and our bodies loose,” said senior Michael Rodriguez.

It’s almost hard to believe that students can hold the same resolve at the start of a race throughout the entire 3.2 miles. What do they think about while they run? Does it ever get too hard to continue running? “I started doing cross-country because I’ve always enjoyed running, and the team bonding is really nice. Coach K helps us by keeping us motivated and ready for each meet, and bonding with us, as well as getting to know each other, and being closer as a team. It may seem tough, but it does get better. We have to keep being optimistic about each race, have good faith, push through and we’ll see the end of it,” said senior Michael Rodriguez.

XC is one of the most straightforward sports. You just run… for a long time. The trick is to maintain your stamina by running at a steady pace. “You don’t have to be good at running; it’s a fun place to hang out and run. The team is great and the coach is amazing,” said freshman Shannon McCusker.

“Try cross country! It’s worth it. You’ll get in sharp for other sports you may play, and the team bond is incredible!” added senior Michael Rodriguez.