For many runners on Louisville’s team, cross country is not just a sport, but a commitment. 

Some, like Lily Plonka ’27, wake up at 5:30 A.M., liquid IV in hand, just to make it to morning practice. As she arrives, Lily joins the other girls in a mile-long warm-up where she pops in headphones to listen to “aggressive rap” to motivate herself for a rough practice and a long school day ahead. 

Some, like Brontë Damm ’28, hum to the bubbly and cheerful-sounding “HOT TO GO!” by Chappell Roan, while the Crespi members of the team get inspired by our Louisville team’s playlist as well.

On the other hand, people like Aly Warson ’27 want a bit of peace and quiet to meditate on the run ahead of them. Warson, however, claims that she is only thinking about her next drink of  water and reaching the end of the line. 

After interviewing the members of the cross country team about their thoughts while running, I noticed that most of them said the same thing: “I’m tired, but I have to keep going.”

The remarkable resilience of the cross country team never fails to amaze me. I don’t know about you, but running just one mile sounds daunting, let alone many miles, a core workout, and whatever other surprises the coaches have in store for practice. These girls jump out of bed, while most of us are sludging through the kitchen half-awake, trying to find an egg to cook. Some team members even get up earlier than necessary to get some homework done. For example, Plonka wakes up at 4 A.M. to get in some extra studying and then goes back to sleep until her alarm goes off for morning practice. 

Even though one might assume that the team members would be too cold or too exhausted to even think after practice, these girls still show up to achieve good grades, gain their near-perfect attendance and make themselves known in leadership positions. They add so much charm and resilience to the story of what it means to be a Louisville student. 

As a friend and fellow classmate of some of the girls on the Louisville cross country team, I have seen how hard they work by showing up to class without a complaint, finishing their miles with a satisfied smile and are still waking up each morning to reach the end of the finish line— however far that line may be.