Last week, William Imeson wrote a piece about the superiority of track over cross country. This is a rebuttal:
It’s really not even any contest, that between cross country and track. Cross country takes place in those first few glorious months of the school year, when we runners can be free from the confines of the track, and run in the woods, streams, countryside, and any shortcuts we feel like trespassing into.
Indoor track, on the other hand, takes place in the dead of winter, when it’s so dark and cold outside that even a nice long run can’t raise your spirits. Outdoor track, also known as Spring track, has nicer weather than indoor, but is spent running unnatural and miserable workouts on a track that seems to radiate heat.
Cross country, first of all, has a completely different feel than track. The disparity between both the practices and races of the two sports is obvious. The cross country teams are smaller and more like families, while so many people participate in track that half the team might not even know your name. Practices in cross country are for the adventurous and free spirited, with most runs either exploring the city or enjoying the views in the county.
Recently I went out on a run during practice near Dayton, while a group of old-order Mennonites were travelling home from a funeral, or some meeting like that. Children in overalls chased each other around their parents’ horse and buggy carriages, while cows grazed in the background beneath a green pasture that made it feel like running through the past. Never in track will I be able to experience that.
Unfortunately, as the weather changes, cross country turns into indoor. To be fair to indoor, it’s not as bad as outdoor. Indoor is by far the least competitive of the three seasons, probably because the atmosphere of the season isn’t seen as important as in outdoor, which can be a blessing or a bad thing depending on who you are. However, indoor meets can last longer than even the school day, and the weather is downright miserable. The most unique part of indoor, and its saving grace, is the opportunity for snowball fights for distance runners.
Then comes the worst season of all, outdoor track. Runners were not meant to be stuck running little ridiculous circles around a track, especially when the weather is nice and a run should be spent out exploring. Let me tell you, there isn’t much to explore up on HHS’ track. I’ve tried. Once at an outdoor meet I saw a girl get so intense about her race that when a teammate on her relay team dropped the baton, disqualifying them from the race, she picked the baton up and beat down her teammate with it.
I don’t think this leaves any doubt that the wonderful weather, freedom, and lack of seriousness during cross country elevates it far above either of the other track seasons in the hearts of runners.
