You toe the ground as you wait for the gun to go off. The hot sun beats down on your head. You can already tell it’s going to be a scorcher today, and it’s only morning. Pop! The blank goes off and a crushing herd of runners all make their way forward. Adrenaline is pumping in your veins as you put one foot in front of the other. You want to go fast right out of the gate, but you remember to pace yourself so you’ll have energy in the tank for later on. Already, the runners are evening out around you, with the slowest towards the back and the fastest in the lead.

The description above is just a tiny sliver of what a Cross Country race is really like. Just like any other sport, hours of conditioning and training are poured into preparing for a meet. But there is much more to Cross Country that makes it unique.

David Nebel, LSE’s Head Cross Country Coach, has been coaching the sport for 32 years. He participated in Cross Country in high school and college and continues to run for enjoyment. 

Unlike most coaches, he doesn’t have to make the difficult decision of who to cut and who to keep. This is because Cross Country is a non-roster sport, meaning there is an unlimited number of people who can be on the team. As well as this, every single person on the team can participate in the meets.

“You get a chance to compete week in and week out,” Nebel said. “Everyone’s got the exact same chance of being successful.”

During the meets, there are a total of four races: two for varsity girls and boys and two for junior varsity girls and boys. Every race is five kilometers (about three miles) long.

The way varsity is selected is also different from most sports. Like Track and Field, the varsity team is based solely on times. If someone runs one of the top seven fastest times on the team for their gender during a meet, they get on varsity. This means that the varsity team is always changing. This lack of competition for playing time helps to build a strong community and camaraderie among teammates. Senior Josh Bradley, who has consistently run on boys varsity, can attest to this. 

“[It’s been fun to] hang out with guys on the team throughout all four years,” Bradley said. “We’ve always had a good squad, just fun to work with, hang out with. Makes the workouts and painful races easier.”

The Cross Country team also does a special get-together nearly every week of the season: a spaghetti feed. Each day before a meet, a team member will host a spaghetti feed at their house after practice. Athletes can bring a plethora of sides: salad, dessert, fruit, you name it. It’s a great opportunity for teammates to socialize and connect over food and games. 

“We just kind of bond as a team and eat good food and kind of encourage each other and get hyped up for the race,” sophomore Varsity Girls Cross Country runner Lucy Deitering said.

In terms of the running itself, it’s both simple and somewhat complicated.

Its simplicity derives from this sole fact: anyone can run. It doesn’t matter if someone has never run more than a mile in their entire life, it all boils down to conditioning. 

“If you’ve never run before, and you go out and run today, it will be difficult,” Nebel said. “But if you show up tomorrow and the day after, it will start to get a little bit better, and everyone will improve as time goes on.” 

Compared to many of the other sports out there, Cross Country doesn’t require years of practice and training to do well, only dedication and self-discipline. 

The more complex side of running is your mentality. Something not everyone may realize is that your mental game plays a huge part in your running performance. 

“Everybody’s physically prepared to do what they need to do when it comes to distance running,” Deitering said. “It’s just really all in your head at that point.”

The kind of thoughts you’re having will influence how well you run. For example, thinking positively will reap good results, and thinking negatively will have the opposite effect.

“I feel like I run best when I’m relaxed,” Bradley said. “When I’m just having a good time.”

Similar to Swimming and Track and Field, each Cross Country runner is going to have a different goal. All athletes are going to aim to run a faster time than their last, but it’s going to vary for each individual. 

“Perhaps [a runner] finished the race in 30 minutes, whereas the winner went out and ran 16 minutes, twice as fast,” Nebel said. “That accomplishment of finishing the race was just as great a success as perhaps the kid who was the state champ.”

Every day during practice, these Cross Country athletes are running at least four miles, doing a variety of different workouts. The weather is often miserable, hot and humid. Through this, these athletes learn the value of hard work. 

“It requires a lot of discipline, and that’s really helped me grow,” Deitering said.

Nebel believes that the benefits far outweigh the negatives of Cross Country. You make friendships, become connected to the school and build character and resilience. 

Cross Country is often an overlooked sport that doesn’t get the level of attention that ones like Football and Volleyball receive. In other sports, running is often used as a form of punishment. Cross Country athletes are out there running every single day. But it’s much more than running several miles in the grueling heat of summer. It’s an opportunity for people of all athletic backgrounds to learn lifelong skills and enjoy a sport without the stressors of playing time or getting cut.

“It’s my belief, if you can handle Cross Country, you can handle any challenge that you’re going to face in life,” Nebel said.