Though cross country can be a challenging sport, it teaches runners to never give up despite the difficulty. It teaches runners many important life lessons that today’s society fails to teach and emphasize. It teaches runners discipline and patience, responsibility for personal health, mental toughness, and more. Cross country has proved that its life lessons are something that each runner will take on with their lives. Cross-country has shaped many runners’ lives for the better.
Brennan Lee, a cross-country runner in his senior year, has been a dedicated runner on the cross-country team since 7th grade. To keep up with the others while striving to be better, he wakes up at five o’clock AM before school every day during the winter and runs an average of five miles. When I asked him how he prepares for cross country, he told me that “off-season training is important. During winter, during the hot summer days, and the long tiring days. Also having to be motivated enough to wake up at 5 before school.” This just proves that cross-country is difficult, but not impossible with effort.
There are times when the body feels like giving up, especially during difficult stretches of the course, and it is in these moments, that the runner’s endurance is tested. Staying focused, pushing oneself to reach the end goal, and staying positive are ways to excel in a race. Jillian Clason, a cross-country runner who is a junior, can confirm this. She also adds that having friends run alongside her helps as well, stating that “words of encouragement and cheering me on during the good and bad races and having conversations with friends about how certain races feel, as well as having the ability to talk through it can help me push myself further.” Cross-country forces athletes to confront their limits and push harder than they thought they could.
There is always something we all would like to improve, and the most successful runners know and acknowledge this fact. Improvement isn’t immediate—progress happens in small steps and increments, requiring patience and tolerance. Jillian Clason captures this sentiment perfectly, saying, “My ability to stay locked in and not telling myself to quit and drop out, but to push through it” reflects the mental and physical challenges that most runners have to experience. When I asked Brennan Lee what he would like to improve, he told me, “definitely my times and training.” To improve in cross-country, each runner has to commit to endless perseverance and learning that the hardest battles are the ones fought within themselves.
Cross-country has an intense impact on the lives of its runners, shaping them in ways that go beyond the running track. It has taught runners to set goals, push past their comfort zones, and navigate challenges head-on. The sport also fosters a sense of community helping runners build meaningful relationships and develop confidence. This sport builds persistence and diligence that influences not only their academic lives but their personal issues as well. Ultimately, cross-country casts individuals to be their strongest and most determined versions of themselves, providing lessons of courage and perseverance that last long even after their racing days are over.
