Cross Country, one of the biggest and most competitive sports at Warren, is officially in swing for the 2025 season! As training for upcoming meets intensifies, Cross Country runners are faced with difficulty and their endurance/motivation to win takes over. At Warren, we have our very own first place runner who recently received 1st place at a local meet with approximately 100 girls.
Is this her first time winning? No. High school junior Kaylee Wilson has been winning since Middle School, with a 7th place finish at her 8th grade State Championship meet. Since then, she has been a high school state qualifier for both her freshman and sophomore years, won first place at conference her freshman year, has won first place at her freshman and sophomore year season openers, and has a running streak of 7 years. With this impressive resume, it is clearly recognizable that she takes her training seriously, and is extremely motivated to become better constantly.
As a non-runner, I think to myself about how motivated she must be to have run every day for the past 7 years, and how determined she must be to be the best she possibly can through repetition. Kaylee states that she trains because “running is a sport that you can always get better at. I can always improve on something and challenge myself while training. My motivation is consistency and my 7 year run streak proves that I can do hard things and that I can challenge myself to do hard things.” Kaylee also states that, “running is important to me as well because it allows me to explore new and amazing things that I wouldn’t be able to see if I wasn’t in this sport.”
Kaylee also elaborates on how important the Cross Country team is to her – that it’s like a family to her – and how her surroundings
continue to motivate and empower her every day. The Cross Country team practices often, creating a strong sense of family within the program and teams. With this in mind, I reflect on the community of runners at WTHS and their personal goals and passions that are probably a lot like Kaylee’s. The sport in itself challenges runners mentally and physically by pushing them to their wits end, but then making it all worth it when they cross the finish line. It is very impressive what the WTHS runners are able to accomplish, and I wish the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams all the best as they continue to compete this season! I close on a direct quote from WTHS Cross Country runner Kaylee Wilson about consistency and motivation that could apply to anything someone is passionate about. “Running is all about consistency. It gives me something to look forward to every day, and allows me to always be active and improve.”