By Kailee Austin

“Hydrate or Diedrate” is what we cross country runners live by during these hot summer workouts. As the season began, these athletes are putting in time almost every day to prepare for the upcoming meets with the help of our coach, Doc Hickernell.

While the heat is not our friend, the outcome is always worth it. Whether that is improving our individual meet time or creating bonds with our teammates.

Speaking of meets, the first meet is on Saturday, Sept. 19. Each meet involves a 5k, which is 3.1 miles, and one of the Senior Captains, Kylie Klassen, says that she “feels accomplished and super powerful after I finish a difficult race.” This goes to show that these meets aren’t easy and it takes a lot of motivation and hard work to get through them.

“My favorite part of cross country is training to be a better runner with my friends,” says Sophomore runner, Gabri Sabo. The social aspect of cross country is one that all the runners cherish. While one would think cross country isn’t the most social sport, it really is. Whether it’s warming up with everyone or running alongside a few of your teammates, there is always an interesting conversation going on.

Kylie also mentions that one of the best feelings about cross country is the “runner’s high” she gets after a race.

The meet this past weekend was the first of many. While it was different than usual due to the coronavirus, the Knights put in hard work, in the heat, at 8 a.m. The standard meet begins with a warmup. Then it is off to the races. Due to all of the Covid restrictions, all of the runners had to wear masks while walking around and before and after the race.

At the beginning of the race, they lined up in smaller groups with masks on. As their group was called, they would drop their masks and head off. Each group was given a 2-minute slot in between start to help distance everyone as much as possible. Since everyone began at different times, the bibs the runners wore on their shirts had a chip in it that tracked when they started and when they finished the race.

This first meet was a success and I can’t wait to see what our cross country team can accomplish in the future!