As the Paideia Cross Country season ramped up, team members prepared for what Pranav Chaudhry ’29 describes as the “biggest cross-country meet in the Southeast United States:” the Wingfoot XC Classic.
Cross Country Coach Becca McCauley had them running “five to six miles every single day,” says Jackson Suttle ’29.
Long distance running can strain the athlete’s bodies, but McCauley understands that “recovery is important,” says Emma Gay ’29. This preparation got them in shape for their season, including the Wingfoot XC Classic.
Chaudhry describes the course as being “pretty fast,” with “good rolling hills…and the signature hay bales,” which the athletes had to jump over towards the middle of the race. As the Wingfoot XC Classic approached, setting goals was important. Chaudhry highlights the crucial difference between winning a medal and running a personal record (PR) time. He explains that courses vary in difficulty, and depending on that, your PR can be inconsistent, making it an inaccurate comparison. In contrast, when a runner is racing for a medal, they are more focused on beating the person in front of them, allowing one to set goals that feel more reachable in the moment and take a step back from the bigger, more intimidating picture: winning the whole race.
This year, the Wingfoot XC Classic took place on Sep. 19 at Sam Smith Park in Cartersville, GA. Gay won the Varsity Girls B race with a time of 18:47.9, and Nate Deplonty ’27 got ninth overall in the Championship Boys race with a time of 16:00.0. Overall, this was an impressive outcome for the team.
