The blazing sun combined with hard terrain makes most people want to stay indoors, but the San Diego Mesa cross-country team the training to withstand the elements and cross the finish line.

The cross country team is preparing for the long road ahead filled with hardships victories and forming everlasting bonds between teammates

With the fall season just starting to break in the runners sneakers and coming off of a phenomenal record, being ranked 13th at the State Championships on Nov 21st last season, there are high expectations to go above and beyond. With the help of head coach Renee Ross, a former cross country runner herself, the team definitely has a promising and victorious season ahead of them.

Each day at practice, footwork drills and proper techniques are constantly elaborated and stressed to prevent injury and to correct mistakes that could either give the team a victory or a defeat.

Celicida Rodriguez, 18-year- old medicine major had ran Cross Country her Senior year in high school and is planning on continuing throughout her time in college “Cross Country isn’t a sport to be reckoned with, it requires a lot of different techniques that can help you breathe better so you can keep running farther and its different because as much as you want to stop you have to keep pushing yourself.”

Despite what critics may say about cross country, it is not as easy as it seems. Unlike other sports where you take time outs, half time, substitutions, and have plays you need to memorize, cross rountry has no time limits, and runners are expected to finish the race like they started it- by running nonstop.

The estimated distance of a regular cross country race is five kilometers, which is roughly 3.1 miles. It takes a lot of heart, effort, and determination to keep a constant pace for over three miles. The goals for the runners are to challenge themselves to beat their best personal time and to beat everyone else to score points for the team. This is a solo sport- while the team may run together they don’t finish together at all.

Runners bond on and off the course and bond not only within the Olympians themselves, but with runners that they race to beat. It is a very friendly sport and it allows the development of friends that push each other beyond their limits.

Many team members enjoy cross country because it can be very fulfilling and it makes them proud to constantly improve their personal best. There is always something to be improved whether it’s ranking within the races to finishing a race faster than the race they ran before.

The team is currently preparing for their first Invitational of the season- the Aztec Invite on September 17 in Balboa Park

Ontario, Cal State San Marcos and Balboa Park are sites where our own Mesa Olympians will race to the finish respectably. The So Cal Preview at Guasti Park will take place in Ontario on Sept 30. The Cougar Challenge at CSSM is being held on Oct 15 followed by the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference in Balboa.