Etowah’s cross country runners spend hours of their week devoted to running and pushing their muscles to the maximum. Through the sweat, hard practice, and additional hours of school work, the runners and coaches encourage each other and keep their eyes on the finish line.

“Cross country to me is more than just running; it’s a family. We all help and encourage each other to succeed,” Haley Theriault, sophomore, said.

Each practice begins with a warm-up, followed by a long distance run or day of speed work and ends by stretching and cooling down. Runners practice every day to prepare to run a 5K at their meets.

“If they have a hard workout today, then tomorrow they’ll have a long recovery run,” Nicole Ross, coach, said.

Ross and Garrett Hurlbert coach the team together. They focus on encouraging the runners through the hard work. While there is a rule that any student failing a class cannot participate, they strive to help students keep up with their work.

“Most of the team has a really good balance of keeping up with their school work and running,” Ross said.   

The team has meets most Saturdays and a county meet once a season. This year, the county meet will be on a Wednesday. Through all the practice the team puts into preparing for meets, they learn many valuable lessons.

“Perseverance and finding strength in yourself that you didn’t know was there before discipline. That’s the biggest key: having the discipline to run those miles when no one’s looking,” Ross said.

Every person on the team makes up a part of a dedicated family. The cross country team is ready to start another  great season.