Running Towards Victory

The gun went off and 150 runners take off. They have 100 meters to jostle for position before the course narrows going into the woods. Those who get ahead put themselves in a better position to be in the race. As they come out of the woods to the first ½ mile the runners have already established their initial positions in the race. The coaches have their first glimpse of the team’s position.

The leader at the first ½ mile was no surprise. He had been dominating the field all year. In fact, the junior runner has been dominating since he was a freshman, having won the district race as a sophomore and finishing third as a freshman. He already had a 10-second lead. He would continue to extend that lead throughout the race, running his own race and it is clear that his running talent is ahead of those behind him.

The rest of the contingency would continue to push one another. Coaches would yell out their runner’s positions. This would be it. This would determine who goes to the state championship.

At the mile marker, the leader would already have a good 20-second lead. No one else would see him the rest of the race. The others would continue pushing themselves. Their goals are their own. Some are running to qualify individually. Some are looking to set a personal record. Some have their eye on some of their competitors that they’ve run side by side all year, those other runners that they've been trading places at the finish line all year. Some are chasing after their own teammates who have been pushing them all year. Some runners' goal is to run the whole 5K without having to walk. Some are trying to not finish last for the first time this season.

Mile two comes around. The leader has a full one-minute lead. He looks relaxed. The coaches have a general idea of what place their team is in. They are letting their runners know who they need to pass to qualify for state, either as a team or individually.

In cross country, it’s usually not the first and second runners that win the meet for the team. They’re going to do what they’re going to do. Sometimes the key to winning as a team is where the fourth and fifth runner on the team finishes. With a good coach, the fourth and fifth runners will know how valuable they are to the team. They invest in that fourth and fifth runner as much as they do their fastest runner. The coach knows that if they catch and pass a couple of key runners, it sometimes makes a difference between a third-place finish and a second-place finish as a team. It is sometimes a difference between qualifying for state as a team and having your season end.

The fourth and fifth runners are the ones that have to persevere and overcome. They are pouring themselves out. Whereas those ahead of them are running for themselves and trying to qualify as individuals should their team not qualify, the fourth and fifth runners are running for the team. They know that they are not likely to qualify individually and that the team’s hope for going to state depends on them.

In sports that are dependent on individual effort for team goals (track, cross country, swimming, wrestling, etc.) your individual effort affects team performance in a different way than in other team sports. In sports like volleyball and football, the team needs to coordinate their efforts as one to achieve victory. If they don’t work together, they struggle. In cross country, team victory is dependent on each runner's effort independent of the team's effort. The team is completely dependent on each runner's ability to overcome themself.

It is at that second mile that coaches are letting that fourth and fifth runner focus on the good of the team. Coaches are encouraging those runners to fix their form and to fix their eyes on what is ahead of them. They are telling them to keep their heads, endure hardship, do the work, and let go of their apprehension. You are letting those fourth and fifth runners know that they are the key to team victory.

Equally as important are the sixth and seventh runners on the team. While only the top five get points in a cross-country race, the sixth and seventh runners increase another team's points. For those unfamiliar with cross country, a team's score is the sum of the top 5 runners on each team's finish. The lower the score in cross country, the higher the team's place. For example, team 1 finished 3rd, 8th, 18th, 19th, and 28th for a score of 76 would tie team 2 which finished 4, 6, 20, 22, and 24. However, if that 6th runner passes on team 2 passes the 28th runner on team 1, it pushes that runner back to 29th for a score of 77, and team 2 wins. By beating another team's fifth runner. the 6th and 7th runners on team 2 helped beat team 1. In other words, the 6th and 7th runner on a team has as much value as the team's fastest runner.

The runners enter the woods one last time for the last 400 meters. As they come out of the woods, they see the finish line and those ahead of them for the last 200 meters. They know exactly how many they could catch before the finish. They run down a slight incline, come around the corner, and sprint the last 100 meters to the finish line.

That finish line is the solitary focus of the runner. Their eyes are fixed on it. They see the end of their suffering. They don’t look at the clock. They look at the white line that signifies the end. They see their victory.

At the end of every race are crowds of people cheering you on. They don’t care what team you’re on or what place you are in. They cheer each and every runner. The fans don’t yell at the coaches for their child not winning or at other fans for cheering their team on. None of the coaches insult the runners. None of the runners taunt the other runners. No one criticizes the officials. They recognize the pain on the runner's face, that grim look of one that has suffered much, and they cheer for every runner.

At the end of every race, the runner is at the point of giving up. The runner has raced has given everything they have to get to the end. Just before the end, the runner experiences thoughts about not having anything left to finish strong. Without that crowd at the end, every runner has no doubt that they would just give up. Each step becomes more mindful. Arms pump faster. The runner runs a little taller.

Just a few moments before the runner was ready to stop and sit down. Now they are sprinting, looking at the finish line. It’s the enthusiasm of the crowd that renews strength. It is their encouragement that renews energy. Once dead legs are strong again. There is life. There is the realization that regardless of the place of finish, the runner has won the race, fought a good fight, and the crown is won.

And that is the Transformative Power of the Run.