OPINION

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By Whit Wallace

A sport is defined as an activity involving extreme physical exertion or skill. By this definition, cross country running should be considered a sport. However, we must dive far deeper into this debate to truly understand some people’s argument that cross country is not a sport. Sports such as football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and track have very little debate over their status as sports. But what makes cross country questionable? I went to the Collegiate student body to discover the reasoning behind this perplexing question. 

Many students don’t consider cross country a sport. Varsity football player Charlie Cunningham (‘23) has many opinions about this topic. He says that “cross country is a no-cut sport, you don’t even have to make the team… it is low intensity and lower energy.” While it is true that only a single person has ever been cut from the cross country team, the low energy aspect is not there. As a result of longer runs, many distance runners can develop a runner’s high. The running website Roadrunners describes the runner’s high as “a feeling of euphoria coupled with a lessened ability to feel pain.” The runner’s high is specifically related to distance running, and few other sports accomplish it. The hard work and sheer determination to run mile after mile at an extremely fast pace are what make cross country a sport. 

Collegiate runners finishing 5th and 9th out of 130 runners.

According to the Nueristic Squelch, UC Berkeley’s satirical publication, cross country is not a sport and should not be called one. “Running should only be used in three cases: 1) When you are being chased, 2) when you are being punished and 3) to get in shape.” Cross country runners are not being chased, not being punished, and are already in shape, so there is no need for them to run. While this website is satirical, there is truth to this sentiment. It is just an activity, and there is little to nothing special about running. Varsity football player Slate Lambert (‘23) agrees with this sentiment: “You can’t simply just run and have it considered an athletic endeavor.”

Nearly every sport has running, in addition to the skills needed to play the sport. It is key to the players’ ability to perform well, and their athletic ability. For example, soccer players have to run while trying to score a goal. Football players have to run to get a touchdown. If they cannot run and do not have the proper endurance, they can’t compete in their sport. In comparison, cross country runners performances’ depend entirely on their endurance and running ability. 

An important distinction is the one between cross country and track. “Track is a sport, and cross country is a participation activity,” says varsity football player Jalen Pierce (‘22), since in track you can run multiple events and earn many points for your team. In cross country, only the top five runners score for their team, which makes it easier to do well. If the team only has five good runners, the rest of the team has little motivation to step up and do better. 

Many of these arguments against labeling cross country as a sport are rather easy to debunk. To do this, I talked to the members of the Collegiate’s own varsity cross country team, of which I am a proud member. Abby Dunn (‘23) a first-year varsity runner, says that “cross country practices are far harder than volleyball,” which she played for her first two years in the Upper School. “Practices are extremely mentally and physically challenging” Page Wells (‘23) added. 

Varsity cross country runners completing a workout on the tundra at Robins Campus.

On Tuesday, October 12, the track workout for cross country consisted of sixteen 400m intervals at race pace, with a 400m interval at a jog. That adds up to eight miles during the workout, in addition to a mile warm-up and a mile cool-down. 10 miles in a single practice, and an average of five miles per day, leads to about 25-30 miles covered in a single week. The level of fitness required to accomplish this week after week is extremely high. 

Running cross country takes a very high level of physical fitness, like being able to crank out three sub-six minute miles, and it takes extreme mental fitness to be able to force your body to keep going minute after minute. Those two factors, combined with the definition of a sport, should make cross country a sport. While it may not have a large dedicated fanbase, the Collegiate cross country team could be looking at a potential state title this year, the first one in school history. 

We hope to see you out at Robins Campus this Friday, Nov. 5 cheering on our runners!

All photo by Ken Miller.