Most people might think that choosing to run miles upon miles every day is an absurd idea, however, there are twenty five girls on the cross country team who think otherwise. The girls on the team put in about four miles each day, six days a week, and they love it.

For a team sport that competes individually, some might think that there could be an extra sense of competitiveness between the girls, but the team has a special bond.

“I am looking forward to being around the people that I love,” junior Courtney Withers said. “I don’t get to see everyone in cross country a lot the rest of the year so it’s always refreshing and exciting getting to run with enjoyable people and coaches.”

The girls are very supportive of one another, no matter how someone is running. This helps to create a welcoming environment for everyone on the team.

“Even though I didn’t run my best race this weekend, I crossed the line and everyone was there comforting me and making sure I was okay,” junior Mackenzie Christenson said. “I also got a sweet note from my captains that helped me mentally finish the race.”

Like all sports, running cross country has its physical difficulties, but it also requires a lot of mental toughness that can truly affect how a race turns out for someone. 

“The hardest part of cross country is to keep going when there is a difficult part in the run and you have to keep forcing yourself to continue,” Christenson said. 

Finishing a race is a difficult task, but being cheered on by others makes the challenge worth it.

“My favorite part of a race would have to be the 100 meters at the end when all the parents, coaches, and other athletes are waiting by the finish line,” Withers said. “So when you sprint to the end, everyone is cheering for you and it feels like you’re on top of the world.” 

Maybe running all of those miles has clouded these girls’ judgments, but regardless, girls cross country is a great team to be a part of.