Appreciating Other Athletes: My Experience Traveling with Union University’s Cross Country Teams

A few weeks ago, I traveled with Union University’s cross country teams to the Gulf South Conference Championships in Huntsville, Ala. I was tasked with taking pictures and writing a preview of the race and the recaps once the event concluded.

If I’m being honest, I wasn’t thrilled to be going. I didn’t know really anything about cross country, but I just assumed the runners were supposed to run as fast as they could for however far they were going and that was it. I also hate running, so I automatically figured this wasn’t going to be fun at all because, I mean, who would want to run all the time as their sport?

However, little did I know that this experience was about to give me a deeper appreciation for athletes in a sport other than my own.

Our first stop was the McAlister’s Deli in Corinth, Miss., to grab lunch. I had never traveled with another team besides softball, so I just hung back waiting to see how we would do everything. After I ordered, I wasn’t sure where to sit, but it wasn’t long until the girls invited me to sit with them.

They were so sweet and genuine, asking me different questions to get to know me, such as how many siblings I have and what my job is at Union. In turn, I got to ask some questions, most of which involved my desire to know more about the sport I was about to watch for the first time that weekend.

“So, what do y’all do to warmup for a race?” I asked.

“Oh, we run like a mile or so,” they responded.

A mile or so? I couldn’t believe it. The most I’ve ever run at once was two miles, and I thought I was going to die when I finally made it back to my house. I just couldn’t fathom running at least a mile to warm up and then a 5k after, which is approximately another 3.1 miles.

Next, I had them explain the concept of a cross country race and how scoring and everything works. They told me that the top five runners count towards the overall score. However, other runners on the team can still contribute by passing members of other teams to knock down their scores.

Basically, cross country is a sport of strategy, not just running fast. You can place first in the race individually; however, if your teammates are really far behind, your team probably isn’t going to have a great score.

After lunch, we drove the rest of the way to Huntsville and made a stop at the course, so that the teams could test it out and run a few miles. I decided to get a walk in, but it was nothing compared to what the runners were doing.

Another thing that I learned about cross country is that a good pre-race meal involves a lot of carbohydrates. For supper, we went to Nothing But Noodles because pasta is a great source of carbs, and let me tell you, their spaghetti and meatballs was exceptional. I would love to have it again.

The next morning, the bus pulled out at 7:30, which is extremely early for me. The girls’ race began at 9:00, and the guys started at 10:15. Once everyone got off the bus, the vibe changed. It was time for them to get loose and zoned in for the competition.

It’s interesting because for softball you have no idea how long a game is going to take. It might be two hours if everything is moving fairly fast, or it might take three to four hours if there’s a bunch of scoring or extra innings.

On the other hand, with cross country, you pretty much know how long it is going to take you to run your 5k if you’re a girl or your 8k if you’re a guy. It might be painful, but you know how long it is going to last and how hard you have to push yourself to do well. You don’t want to have any regrets from the time the gun goes off to the time you run through the finish line.

One of my jobs was to take pictures of the members of the team as they ran. Their faces in many of the shots depict the effort and energy that they were exerting to place as well as they could. Once they finished, the athletes had to regain their breath and recover from the stress that they had just put their body through.

As a former softball player, I know I couldn’t do what those cross country runners did on that course that morning. I used to get out of breath just sprinting to first base, so I can’t even imagine running over three miles in less than 20 minutes.

However, getting to witness their preparation and execution made me excited about a sport other than the one that I had played the majority of my life. After I got home, I told many people about how much fun I had even when I wasn’t expecting it.

The cross country teams and their coaches made me feel welcome and like I was one of them. I don’t think I could ever be a cross country runner because I’m not built for that, but I want them to know that I will always be cheering them on because they were so kind and also because they gave me a new perspective on the hard work and dedication that it takes to do something I could never do.

I think all athletes should take the time to interact with those competing in different sports. It will offer them the chance to appreciate a craft other than their own, one that they might not be able to do themselves; and also possibly give them a renewed passion to go back to their own sport and push themselves as hard as they watched the other athletes push themselves, which is, in my opinion, invaluable.

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