Every morning on the way to school, you may pass by students running up and down Old Atlanta. You may think, “Who are these kids?” and “What are they doing running so early?” This is the Lambert Cross Country team, and they work hard and train every summer and fall in order to have a successful season. It takes a lot of dedication, but the results are always amazing in the end.

Even though cross country is in-season during the school year, the cross country students prepare for the upcoming fall during the entire summer. Junior Jordan Meaker is not only on the team, but has been at almost every single practice during these months. “In the summer, we went out from 6:30 until 8 and we pretty much did easier runs,” Meaker tells. “It was pretty laid back; but when school started, it was a lot more intense with hard workouts.” During the school months, the team is ready to run Monday through Friday after school from 4 to 5:30. Freshman Emily Conner, also on cross country, explains her rough mornings, but how her love of running gets her awake and on the go: “It is hard waking up at five every day to get ready, and I do have to admit that sometimes, I have the feeling that I just want to sleep, but once I am out the door, I feel like I am ready to run.”

When you are dedicated to something, you need a little support from others to help you along the way. On cross country, you aren’t running alone; you have an entire team to keep everyone accountable and to cheer their teammates on. “My favorite part about cross country is the team bonding and all of the inspiring people who are always there, no matter what team they are on, to support you,” Conner says. These students are not only dedicated to their sport, but also to spend time with and encourage their peers. Jordan says that her and her team are very close. “We do pasta dinners every Friday; it’s like a party at someone’s house where we load up on carbs the night before a meet. And then we also do different fun little things throughout the year, like going bowling or going ice skating.” The little things definitely make the sport more fun when you are right by your friends!

Overall, cross country comes with a passion. Goals are set and made, which is such a wonderful feeling. “My goal was to just run faster and stay healthy, and I keep improving every day,” Emily shares. Jordan adds in, as well: “When I’m done running, I feel so accomplished and I feel good about myself,” she says, “It’s pretty exciting when you finish a big race and everyone is so happy.” Maybe getting up early and going out for a run with your friends isn’t too bad after all. The Lambert Cross Country team proves that even though it takes a lot of hard work, including early weekday mornings and long weekend meets, it is all for good and they wouldn’t trade it for the world.