When an athlete thinks of running, they usually think of warm-ups for football or soccer practice, or maybe even a penalty for not doing enough burpees at field hockey practice. However, these warriors put more mud, sweat and tears than anyone into their pastime. Cross-country runners.
Cross-country is nothing like track-and-field. Track is a series of athletic contests that include running, throwing and jumping. But cross-country is just running; and a whole lot of it.
The runners race on natural terrain rather than a track, and the courses can include grass, woods, gravel roads, and even sometimes steep hills. They usually vary from about 4-12 Kilometres (2.5 to 7.5 miles) in length. Intense, right?
I, for one, could never imagine running more than a mile at a time. However, Sophomore and runner Sarah Jones has been at it for 2 years, and recently PR’d in a 5k race at Darlington Park with a time of 23:17. In this interview, she explains why she loves the sport so much.
“What prompted you to do XC?”
“Well, it all started when I was picking up papers for friends who were interested in track. I saw that my 8th grade English teacher was one of the coaches, so I decided to stay for the meeting because ‘Why not?’ It was a good way to get in shape, and it just seemed fun. I am so glad I had to pick up those papers because I ended up loving it!”
“Was XC ever unenjoyable because of the intense training?”
“Oh, absolutely. My first summer practices were terrible. All of the other girls were better and more experienced than I was. Building the initial muscle was painful and the days were hot.”
“If XC was so difficult in the beginning, what made you keep going?”
“I wanted to prove to myself that I could do something without quitting. Everybody has a point in their life, especially being a Freshman in High School, where they compare his or herself to others. But I wanted to stop doing that, and do something for myself for once. It was a lot of work but I am so glad that I didn’t quit.”
“Do you recommend XC to anyone? If so, who, and why?”
“I absolutely recommend XC. I recommend it to, well, basically anyone who wants to get in shape, or expand their friend group, or just participate in a sport and have fun. Especially Freshman. It is a good way to get to know people before you get actually get to the high school. The team is smaller so it’s so much easier to get to know people on the team, and get closer with them. I just really recommend it to anyone, it’s so great. Also, you get pasta before meets. Who wouldn’t pass up that opportunity?”
“Anything else?”
“If you do join, do NOT expect it to be an easy sport. It’s not easy, at all. It is so much work, but it definitely pays off. It is so much fun, and it’s definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
