Cross Country Runners Conquer the Elements

Cross Country Runners Conquer the Elements

Some sports are known for toughness – rugby and hockey certainly and no doubt bull riding.  I propose that cross country running should also be included.  A distance runner requires immense mental and physical toughness.  That runner’s training life is a lonely one, and he or she must push herself even when the coach isn’t watching.  To succeed, or to gain fitness, he or she must fight through pain and exhaustion to do one extra interval, one extra flight of stairs, or several extra hill repeats.  During a meet, a runner cannot hide behind a helmet or pads, and cannot blend anonymously into the crowd of a team.  Their pain and vulnerability is on full display as they exit the woods and lunge across the finish line wheezing, spitting, limping or even vomiting.  Even stepping to the start line can be terrifying.

Some days are harder than others.  Consider our race on Tuesday, October 4^th in Brooklyn, NS, when our competitive runners braved the rain and cold, the muck and the mire, to run 3, 4, 5, or 7km depending on age.  For some of them, that was the furthest they had ever run continuously.  I could list impressive rankings and times, but that would be beside the point.  Our running team conquered the elements. 

This past Tuesday, our team raced at Lockhart Ryan Park in New Minas, and as a result, got a sneak preview of the Provincial Championship course. 
Thankfully, the conditions were far more favourable and the sun was shining. Our junior girls, Ella Brown and Meredith Chambers, placed well, and our intermediate and senior boys’ teams, as well as our senior girls’ team showed that they have remarkable potential to qualify for Provincials. The top runner in each those categories, respectively, was Hanley Palmer, Ross Traves, and Abigail Shearer.

The Regional Meet will be in Bridgewater on October 21^st, and the Provincial Championships will be at Lockhart Ryan Park in New Minas on October 28^th.