Starting June fourth, Lambert’s Cross Country team’s training begins at 6:15 a.m. During training, the team endures hour-long runs to build their endurance while running uphill for miles. 

“Usually the least we would run would be two, two and a half miles, and that’s for newer runners. More experienced runners run three-plus miles every morning,” Griffin Ward states. Ward started running just recently and joined the cross country this year. 

These runners devote the majority of their time to this sport. A typical day starts at 5:30am, their practice ends at 7:15am and they attend an eight hour day of school after this. They fight the exhaustion and finish their homework, trying to get to bed as early as they can.

“I try to get to bed before 9:30 because I have to get up again,” Avery Holt said.  This is Avery’s second year on Lambert’s team and she has been competitively running since seventh grade. 

During the school year, the team has a series of meets that are all a distance of five kilometers, or roughly three miles. To prepare for these meets, runners have workouts and run up to eight miles each morning. 

Both the runners and the coaches are very excited for this year’s season. James Tigue, the head coach, stated, “ We’ve got some kids who have really worked hard, and I can’t wait to see them race.”  

The season has just begun, and the runners are already giving it their all. With the season ending on November fourth, The Lambert Post cannot wait to see what these runners accomplish.