While many area teenagers spent one of their last Friday night’s before school started at the movies, shopping or cheering on their team in a final scrimmage, Clover Hill cross country runners hit the trails. The 20+ team members on hand Aug. 22 ran a combined 293 miles, covering roughly the distance from the school to New York City, all so that they can continue – and perhaps further – their cross country season.

The Clover Hill girls’ cross country team snuck up on the field and finished as district runners-up last fall. This year they look to continue that upward trend toward the regional and state meets with a few extra team members and some more practice.

“They didn’t really go to a lot of the meets and events [outside the area],” second-year head coach Brandon Miles said. “They just kind of stayed and went to the Wednesday meets, which are good district meets, but if you really want to build a good program … you have to take them to high quality invitationals.”

Both the boys’ and girls’ teams have their sights sent on five Saturday invitational runs including a major trip to Titusville, Fla., in early October. The meets are sure to be great for the team, but with only one being run locally (the McDonald’s Cross Country Festival at Maymont), they’re also hard on the budget.

Cross country is a non-revenue sport, meaning the team doesn’t generate funds from ticket sales at their events, so travel expenses can add up fast for students and parents. That leaves the team trying to generate revenue in more creative ways – like doing what they already do best: running.

August 22 found more than 20 Cavalier runners gathered behind the school, music blaring from a car radio, buckets of water on hand to keep heads cool, pizza and grapes on hand for refreshment and the running shoes laced up and ready to go. The runners were gathered for a run-a-thon, which they did mostly on their own cross country trails, switching to the lighted track after dark. In weeks prior to the event, they went into the community to gather pledges, so how much they raised fell on their own shoulders as things got underway, and the kids responded.

Expectations were for the team to raise around $5,000, with mileage over the four-and-a-half hour period varying between 6 and 15 miles. When all was said and done senior co-captain Ethan Lowery had put an extra 17 miles on his treads followed by senior co-captain Colin Mason with 15 – his final mile done in just five minutes and 30 seconds. Senior Brittany Snider ran 13 miles and no one ran fewer than eight miles.

“Nearly all of the runners ran farther than they have ever run in their life,” Miles said afterward. “The commitment of what they’re doing out here is no different then their training right now, which is turning the program around … It’s real exciting to see these kids and they’re excelling in the sport and really getting a whole lot out of it other than just the competition aspect. These kids are really tight knit.”

The team raised over $7,000 for their efforts and hope to be out raising more money again in the near future. Find out how you can help by contacting Miles at Clover Hill High School at (804) 739-6230.



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Republished from the MidlothianExchange.com