Running — an indisputably difficult sport. There’s the repetitive motion of propelling yourself forward, pounding against the ground at the optimal speed to reach your goal time without crashing and burning. And with cross country, there’s the added difficulty that comes with the long distances. Yet, the year’s Enloe cross country team had close to 80 people dedicated to the cause who showed up for runs day in and day out during the season.
An average cross country practice starts at 2:45 with the team congregating on the track. The team then launches into a two-lap, half-mile warmup, followed by a team circle performing dynamic stretches. After this, the bulk of the practice begins. Usually, the team runs in groups tailored to their distance and pace in the neighborhood surrounding Enloe. Other times, a practice may involve strength and mobility exercises, or SAMs. Alternatively, some practices, referred to as workouts, focus on a specific skill. One of the most frequent workouts is the practice of tackling hills, which comes in handy on the WakeMed Soccer Park course.
The majority of the cross country team’s meets are held in the evenings at the WakeMed Soccer Park, which is considered Enloe’s home course. Additionally, the cross country team had their Cap 8 Conference meet on Oct. 13, which determined who moved onto Regionals. The top seven boys and top seven girls on the cross country team competed at Regionals on Oct. 25.
With close to 80 people, this season’s team was the largest in several years. Many upperclassmen who have been dedicated to the team throughout their high school career returned for another season of running, with the team seeing a great addition of underclassmen as well. “Everyone who came in was just so … open to trying something new,” says Rachel Marchione, a junior who has been on the team for three years.
Beyond the numbers lies the team’s true strength: camaraderie. There are well-known team traditions such as the iconic Hawaiian shirt and the daily crab-walk, just to name a few. But there’s also the displays of community only truly known to the runners themselves. “This season, the team is really close,” Marchione confides. “Everybody’s friends and gets along. Everyone is supportive [of] each other.”
Along with their community, the cross country team is also distinctively welcoming. Everyone has a spot on the cross country team, “as long as you show up to practice and try your best and keep working on it,” according to Raina Fowler, a fellow junior and third-year cross country member. Regarding the team’s success this year, Fowler adds, “[People have] been able to grow so much because they were given a chance.”
Despite the large team, running can still feel like an isolated, individualized sport — just you against the clock. However, the team strives to make the sport as group-oriented as possible. “The most simple thing you can do is invite someone on a run,” notes Fowler. “I remember people doing that my freshman year, because when you’re first starting out, you don’t really have a running group.” Running with a group can bring a level of socialization to any practice and make the team stronger.
Runners and non-runners alike can also support the team by cheering from the sidelines. “Cheering someone on at a race is huge. This year, I tried really hard to get to know everyone’s name so that when I saw them racing, I could cheer for them individually,” Fowler explains. Marchione adds, “You wouldn’t be able to accomplish those PRs [Personal Records] without the support from your teammates.”
At the end of the day, running is hard. But the satisfaction it brings is what keeps the runners coming back to the course practice after practice, meet after meet. According to Fowler, the most important thing is “knowing that it’s you versus the clock and no one else.” She continues, “When you see that, when you get that time you want, it’s the best feeling ever, because you know that you yourself worked for this, and you yourself earned this.”
