Cross Country is a not well-known sport. It’s mistaken for track most of the time, but there’s only one event.

Every runner runs the same distance: 3.1 miles, also known as a 5k. They place individually and as a team. No one really knows what goes on behind the scenes. Many teams have practice everyday as any other sport does, covering from 5 to 7 miles.

Cross country teams thrive through being like family to one another. Being a family at practice translates to being a family at meets. Eventually every runner finds another who runs approximately their speed and when a race comes up they run as a pack. Running in a pack of 3 or 4 makes the team stronger as a whole. At a meet they organize the races in: JV girls, JV boys, varsity girls, and varsity boys. Not necessarily in that order.

The Chelsea cross country team has recently welcomed a new coach this year. He’s the former coach from Oak Mountain middle school and he is making the Chelsea team well known.

The team had recently been invited to join the football team at a radio night at Applebee’s. Three runners talked about the team’s performance. This week Shelby County reached out to Coach Marino, Chelsea cross country coach, to let him know they would be writing about the team and their recent success.

The team also has been asked to get together one morning of the week to fellowship with one another, as the football does on Friday’s. This simple act will strengthen bonds on the team while spreading the word of God. Though the cross country team at Chelsea has only ran two meets, they have more success to be poured out. With determination this team will be unstoppable.

The more people who witness this success, the more who will want to be apart of it. And the Chelsea Cross Country team is welcoming them with wide open arms.