Cross country is a sport that is often overlooked. Football is more attended and watched by fans than cross country is. There is a reason for that though. Football is fast and choppy. Cross country is a sport for people who love overcoming challenges. These athletes are not running a ball 100 yards or getting mauled by Billy Bob who’s 6’5” and 300 pounds. Their version of “Billy Bob” is the big hills and the D1 runners.
Sophomore runner Jase Ostblom said, “They run faster than me, but probably 16 minutes is their average time.”
On top of that, runners have to travel far to each meet, missing a lot of school.
Most races are 5k's or 3.1 miles. These races have bends, twists, holes, and hills. Anyone who has attended one of these great races would say that the terrain is always different. It can range from gravel to crushed grass, all the way to the sand, which the runners hate.
“Conference was very dusty, hard to run and see in,” said junior Easton Fiala.
Like any sport, they have a JV and a Varsity team. Louisville’s JV runners consist of five male runners. The varsity consists of six male runners and one female. They may be all different in skill and age and love for the sport, but they stick together and run.
Fiala said, “Our bodies are like motors. We have to take care of them.”
Cross country runners' bodies get fatigued fast. To stay healthy and not cramp, they have to eat right and drink a lot of water.
“Ms. Davis tells us ‘no apple juice pee,’” said Fiala.
The team faces a lot of competition, seeing at least one or two D1 runners every meet.
Junior Braden Soester said, “My goal is to be able to keep up with the D1 athletes."
These D1 runners have great form and know how they will exactly run these courses. And that takes a different level of thinking.