BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

STE Cross-Country Takes on the Houston Heat

By Celia Houston, Saint Thomas' Episcopal School, School Buzz Editor | October 14, 2016

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Varsity boys at the Saint Thomas' Episcopal and Bellaire Invitational.

Once the dismissal bell rings at 3:15 p.m., the endorphins begin pumping. Distance runners hurry from their classrooms, pack up everything they need for homework, and grab their workout duffles. By 3:40 p.m. all 9 girls and 17 boys on the Saint Thomas' Episcopal Saints high school cross-country team are outside the gym ready to run.

“I feel like I need to run to get me through the day. It helps me think, and it takes my mind off of school and homework,” says Jian Liang ‘18, captain of the girls’ varsity team.

Everyone takes a brisk four-minute jog to Brays Bayou where the real workouts begin. Every day there is a different workout, which may vary from 5-mile runs to 200-meter sprints.

The team began their summer workouts on May 31. Runners alternated between Wills Hills on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. The team practiced along Brays Bayou on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The team has run through pouring rain, summer heat indices of 106 degrees and injuries.

As the season marches on and the runners can see the end of their hectic season, stakes are higher than ever in regards to the State Championship at the end of October. Only the top seven varsity runners get the opportunity to show off the past six months of dedicated work they have invested. From that, only the top five runners count towards the overall score of the team.

“The team has come together so much after these past six months,” says Ellen Tillery ‘19. It’s a very competitive, yet supportive, group of high schoolers that encourage and push each other to give their best effort every time they strap on their running shoes.