Confidently Cruising into Cross Coutry

By Hudson Brooks

“Do you have a relentless pursuit of excellence?” 

On September 17th, at our first cross country practice of the year, this was the question Coach Will Brooks asked us. After a long wait over the summer and during the first few weeks of school, it was finally that time of year again: time for us to resume cross country, and with it, our endless pursuit of speed, strength, and agility. 

There were a total of 20 people there at the grand reopening, which was more than came to all of the workouts from last year combined. With such a large number of runners, it may seem hard to imagine that every single person there contained within them a “relentless pursuit of excellence.” Despite this, showing up to a workout is often the hardest part, especially when there’s running involved. Everyone who shows up displays their pursuit of excellence and their drive to better themself.

While cross country at Dalat is still only a fledgling sport, it has a very tight knit community of those who want to better themselves. Those of us who “push through the heat and weather to become better runners and commit to the betterment of our health and even for our own enjoyment,” said Eliza Setzfand (10). 

Cross country might seem to the outsider as a method of torture, or even a basic sport, with no method to the madness. In reality, cross country is a very complex sport with a myriad of strategies at the top level. In my opinion, cross country is such an incredible sport because it offers something for everyone. 

“I run cross country because it helps me work on my general fitness, and I am actually held accountable to my workouts,” says Ee Rynn Ong (11). 

Some come to better their fitness, but that’s not all that cross country at Dalat offers. For the first time ever, the Dalat Invitational 5K will be held on October 6. For those with a more competitive spirit, cross country can also be a fun way to compete with others, but most importantly yourself. 

In the end, cross country is not just about running faster than everyone else. While competing against others is a large portion of what makes cross country cross country, the most important part about cross country is not competition with others, but with yourself. If you can come out of cross country season as a better runner, or even a better person, then you have truly won the race.