“Beep beep, ring ring,” alarm clocks woke up the cross country team, calling them to Jesuit to begin their Saturday mornings. Arriving at 7 o’clock, the runners packed up the bus for their big day of competition at the Gerald Richley Invitational. The Richley race was not only another 5k for the team, but also important preparation for the UIL Regional cross country meet, because the Richley course is the same as the Regional course. So, the XC team left Jesuit for Grand Prairie, planning a podium finish and a post-race lunch at Chili’s.
After nearly an hour of sleeping, listening to music, or anything else to pass the time, the Jesuit bus arrived at Lynn Creek Park, Grand Prairie. Once the freshmen finished struggling to get the tent off the bus, the team set up camp, awaiting the Varsity race at 9:30 and the JV race at 11:30. As the Varsity squad began the warm-up, the sun burned through the thin layer of clouds, a foreboding sign of the weather. However, anticipation of the race seemed to blot out the dust and humidity choking the air, the varsity team excited for the opportunity to compete. Connor Garvey ’16 recalled, “Before the race I felt good, we went fast on the warm up.” John Garvey ’16 also felt “relaxed and good.”
As the start of the race approached, things started to change, for better and for worse. A wall of clouds formed to block the intense sunlight, cooling the temperature, but Connor O’Neill ’17, the team’s top runner, felt sick and began to doubt his ability to race. The team ended up having to go to the starting line without O’Neill, a serious setback for the team’s placement.
As the starter gave the two-minute warning, the Jesuit runners gathered together, and Connor Garvey ’16 started a slow-clap, quickly escalating to a loud and furious Jesuit Yell. Pumped up for the race, the varsity runners positioned themselves along the line, eager to start the competition. As soon as the gun fired, the open field in front of the starting line became a stampede of runners, hundreds of feet pounding the cracked earth, elbows fighting for space as the course boundaries narrowed.
The first mile of the race consisted of a sharp turn to the right, followed by a wide loop to the left and back towards the starting line. As the initial rush of adrenaline wore off, several Jesuit athletes began to feel the pain. John Garvey ’16 remembers, “I was waiting for Miles to catch me,” however, Miles Burrow ’17 could only think, “please don’t have the sun come out.” Only Connor Garvey remained confident: “I tried taking it out a lot easier than I normally would, I went out at about 5:04 [mile pace]. I was sitting in about 20th place, then I started picking people off from there.”
The last two miles followed a comparatively larger loop, first along an open dirt path, then under some trees, and finally along a road to the finish line. As the race progressed, everyone’s feelings intensified. For Connor Garvey, the second mile “also felt good,” running even splits between the first and second miles. However, John Garvey and Miles Burrow began to lose their competitive edge. While Burrow thought, “Wow, I’m in front of John,” John was thinking, “Just finish the race.” Similarly, Elliot Ingram ’17 struggled to compete. He explained, “I always have a song in my head during the race. This time, it was ‘State of my Head’ by Shinedown.” His song choice was ironic because “the state of my head was terrible during the race, really bad.”
Varsity ended up placing 5th with a gap of 1:40 between the 1st and 5th runners. As far as personal goals, the varsity team lacked success. John Garvey was “not even close to [his] goal, to far away to even say,” Miles Burrow was “not able to meet [his] goal” because he ran a 17:20, “that’s pretty bad,” and even Connor Garvey, finishing first on the team, reflected, “I wasn’t able to meet my goal of running a 15:40, but hopefully I can at Regionals.”
John Garvey evaluated, “I think I was tired from Community Days, and I just wasn’t focused enough to race well.” Connor Garvey also thought, “The food wasn’t the best on Community Days. I usually try to eat healthy during the week, but I wasn’t able to do that Tuesday through Thursday.” An essential experience of senior year, Community Days built up the brotherhood of the Senior Class, although the late nights, early mornings, and dining hall may have hindered the senior’s racing capabilities the following Saturday.
As Varsity cooled down after their disappointing race, the JV runners warmed up. When the time came to race, they repeated the ritual of tying on their spikes and nervously jogging over to the starting line, mentally preparing themselves for the inescapable 3.1 miles ahead. When the gun fired, racing spikes once again clawed the ground in front of the starting line as 213 runners fought to pass one another.
Unfortunately, the sun broke through the clouds, hindering the JV runners with temperatures reaching 90 degrees. Benny Otiniano ’18, known for wearing a cotton undershirt beneath his jersey, particularly struggled to deal with the heat. “During the first mile, I was thinking towards the finish line. Second mile, I wanted to cry,” said Otiniano. Dawson Moore ’18 also felt bad about the race: “I have a lot of negative memories, I wish I wasn’t there.” Benny evaluated, “The weather was an obstructing factor that prevented many of our fast runners from performing well.”
Sam Olden ’17, however, was able to fight through the bad conditions and get 5th place in the race with a time of 18:35. “I felt pretty good. I was comfortable for the first two miles, and then I started to kick it in the last mile.” JV was led by Julio Avila ’19, who got 2nd overall with an 18:18. As a team, the Jesuit JV placed 3rd, beaten only by Lovejoy and Austin Westlake.
After the race ended, the JV staggered back to the tent, grasping for Gatorade and chocolate milk, while the upperclassmen began to pack up. Miles Burrow remembered, “It was really hot outside, and I didn’t want to be there anymore.” Once all the trash was cleaned up and sweaty clothes packed away, the team got back on the bus and headed to Chili’s for a post-race meal.
All eyes in the restaurant turned as 30 high schoolers packed into the Chili’s lobby. As soon as everyone was seated, the starving runners perused the menu, hypnotized by the photos of juicy hamburgers and sirloin steak. Orders began pouring in, each athlete planning a three-course meal. John Garvey recalled, “I was really looking forward to Chili’s.” Benny admitted, “My expectation of Chili’s was driving me forward during the race.” Many eyes were drawn to the picture of the Oreo® Chocolate Molten Lava Cake™, which proved to be the most popular item on the menu. “That molten cake hit the spot,” John remembered.
John also reflected on whether the team deserved Chili’s after a less-than-optimal performance: “Anytime we race and wake up early on a Saturday morning, no matter how bad we do, we deserve to be rewarded.” Miles Burrow had different thoughts: “Some kids deserve Chili’s, but some kids deserve not to eat for a couple of days.”
Once everyone finished their meal, the team hobbled back onto the bus, thankful to be headed home after a long day of competition. Arriving back at Jesuit around 3 o’clock, the Saturday morning cross country race ended up lasting 8 hours, a long day of travel for a 20 minute race.
Why would anyone run cross country? Because it fosters brotherhood, commitment, and integrity. Running is a get-what-you-deserve type of sport. Skipping workouts and giving less than the best only leads to a poor race; however, if the runner has the integrity to push himself to the best of his ability, then the results will show at the end of the season. Further, nothing builds commitment better than practice every morning before school, and relying on each other’s dedication to build a stronger team. And lastly, brotherhood, the bond that transcends a common-interest relationship, the bond best formed by mutual struggle and success. Jesuit cross country builds brotherhood because victory only comes through teamwork.
