Cross Country v. Blistering Heat of Arizona

It’s an Uphill Battle//Traversing through the dirt and sand of the Arizona desert is the Coronado Cross Country Team. Sweat was shed on the uphill climbs, and the course was sure to take a couple of runners off course. (Photo Courtesy of Tyrel Cooper)

Where there’s a stampede, you can bet the Coronado Cross Country team isn’t far behind, competing in meets from nearby towns to as far as Arizona. On September 20, 2025, the Coronado Cougar XC Team, Varsity and JV both competed in Arizona to see who did the best under that heat.

This week was the 5k which was 3.12 miles, which may seem like a lot for most, but for the XC team, that’s an everyday grind they face. They have worked hard to show that the Coronado XC Team is in the big leagues, with their tenacity and strength, they show that they can persevere through mental tiredness and physical soreness faced during the meet. 

“The distance of the course doesn’t matter to me because I do my best no matter how long the race is,” Junior, Madi Kingman said. “While the longer races can be a little mentally taxing, if you just stay focused on the race, the race will fly by.”

Another great thing about Cross Country is the competition. Girls and Boys are separate, but when the women are ready to start, there are so many people to race against, shoulder-to-shoulder. Whether you are at mile marker one or two, there is usually someone right next to you, challenging you to go faster and get your PR. PR is your personal record when you are racing, and it is always good to beat your PR each time you race.

“I was excited to race the different teams of Arizona,” Kingman said. “I got to see how fast they are, as well as what the course we ran looked like.”

Beating the heat was not the only thing on the team’s mind that weekend, as they also had to go through the dust and sand of the Arizona desert and a course that was mostly an uphill battle. This meet was different than usual, as it was uphill, taxing the runners faster. Despite this, the Cross Country team still pushed up the hill without quitting, and got better from trying a different route, and strengthened their endurance.

“The meet itself was pretty good,” Kingman said. “The course was a bit more difficult than what we normally run, but I feel like I ran a good race. I could have improved on the uphills and pushed myself a bit more. After the race, I just looked forward to relaxing for the rest of the day.”

Icing their sores, and recuperating is the XC team at Coronado where they get ready for September 25-26, 2025, as they have another out of state meet in Fresno, California. Cougars, bring your school spirit, and if you can’t go to Fresno, make sure you root for them from home.