Imagine yourself right about to start a running competition that you have trained with your teammates for the longest time.
The adrenaline is accumulating, but you keep your composure, knowing that your peers support you greatly and that you will place well.
You ultimately finished the race, breaking your previous personal record, a milestone attributable to the mutual support of your fellow students and your stubborn devotion.
These are the qualities that define Landstown Cross Country.
The Landstown Cross Country (XC) team is a remarkable community that encompasses various talented athletes within Landstown High School. These athletes compete in races such as the 5K (five kilometers) and the two mile, testing the commitment and willpower of these athletes so that they can become better versions of themselves.
The racing events typically take place around LHS, but they are not limited to this zone. Athletes train relentlessly with the purpose to expand the boundaries of possibility.
These athletes incorporate various strategies during their runs, one of whom, Elijah Harmon, a 12th grade XC runner, stated when he is running, he rids his mind of distractions, as if he were an emotionless robot. This unwavering commitment contributes to his resilient nature shared among the rest of the XC athletes.
Additionally, Harmon recounts how he ran in a place called Narnia.
“It’s like this place way out, probably past the PA sports called Lakes, and it’s like a farmland. It’s beautiful,” he said.
The sense of community is derived from the people themselves, not from the sport alone. That’s what makes the bonds of XC so strong.
“We act as a family,” said Nathan Campos, an aspiring 12th grader who recently joined the XC community. “We tell jokes to each other, we push each other to do better, and we’re there for each other whenever we’re running.”
Campos has also shown significant improvement throughout XC.
“I’ve improved a lot based on distance and time: I was barely able to do a 5K in 35 minutes, and now I dropped that to 22, just being able to run long distances altogether,” he stated.
Campos emphasized how XC is a team sport whilst underscoring the importance of self-competition as well.
“It is a team sport, but it’s ultimately you against you. You’re trying to beat your past times, so we try to help each other at the end of the day,” he said.
Ralph Dunbar, a 12th grader and a veteran of XC, describes his resolute commitment in the sport, not succumbing to giving up when he isn’t in his A game.
“I’ve been running cross-country specifically for three years,” he said, “and I have had sort of a mountain range, to say the least of times, slopes up and down depending on the day and the time of the season.”
Dunbar also mentioned how he has a fondness for surpassing other people, PR-ing, and just overall running for himself, a mindset similar to that of Campos’. This like-minded stratagem further substantiates the determination of these talented athletes.
The Landstown XC team is not merely just what the name implies; it is a family comprised of dignified students who perpetually seek challenges and test their adamance fueled by their beloved passion of running.