Last Saturday, September 6th, the cross country team had their third meet at Brownsburg. The team had previously competed at Mount Vernon for their first official 5k of the year. They had also competed in the Plainfield Hokum Karem, a relay race, with each athlete running a total of three miles. 

On Saturday the team arrived outside of Loretto at 6:30am to depart for the race. All week they have been preparing, piling up miles in advance. As students sat on the bus there was nerves and excitement floating around. 

Once arriving at Brownsburg, the team got set for the race. They put up their tent, threw on their running shoes, and began to warm up. The boys race was first, and the girls ran directly after.

Head Coach Brian Gross said, “We had an outstanding performance at one of the most competitive meets in the state. Both girls and boys are doing a better job racing smart, racing for place, and trusting their training.”

As scores began to load into the system, it was clear that the team had multiple individual personal records (PRs). There ended up being 30 season PRs on the girl’s side, and 24 on the men’s side. 43 of those athletes also had a career PR.

While the race itself is a blast, the end of the meet is often what is the most fun. The athletes and coach share a meal of bagels, ring the PR Bell, and congratulate each other for the hard work they have put in. As the race comes to an end, the Cathedral Cross Country team heads back and begins their training for their next race on Saturday the 13th, the All Catholic, hosted by Guerin High School. 

“Looking forward to All Catholic, we’re excited to face down stiff competition in Bishop Chatard, Guerin, Bishop Dwenger and Roncalli. It’s the exact type of competition we need to learn how to race competitively from gun to tap”, says Gross.