Two of Kilbourne’s Cross Country runners, Freshman Claire Cavin and Junior Hayden Mccomb qualified for states and ran in the tournament of November 1, 2025. In their races, Hayden ran a time of 16:3 and Claire ran a time of 19:41.
The Ravine spoke with both of these runners on what the sport means to them and their experiences running for Kilbourne and at the state meet.
Claire states that she has “been running since I was about 9” and that she started by doing “a lot of run clubs like Fast Rabbits, and throughout elementary school. . .did a lot of cross country clubs.” Though for her “first joining the xc team in middle school really made [her] love running even more because. . .there was a whole community connected to it” and there were multiple coaches there to support her as well. For Claire, “cross country just means getting to know so many people on a deep level that you’d never really see in any other sport.” She also emphasizes that while practices are often very social and enjoyable, “every workout counts, a long run, or a hard one, could make the biggest difference in the end.”
Hayden has been running “since 6th grade WYB track”. To Hayden, cross country “is a way to stay fit, have fun with friends, and compete”, similarly to Claire stating that cross country is a very social sport centered around the bond of all the runners.
Both runners said that they were “very proud” and “happy” about their performances throughout the season and at the state meet. Hayden stated his satisfaction that “the work that [he has] been putting in is paying off” and Claire made sure to highlight her gratitude for her “coaches who spend hours making spreadsheets for workouts, and always supporting [her] and the rest of the team.”
The Ravine also asked the runners what advice they would give to a new runner or teammate:
“Take the training seriously, because you’ll 100% get better from it. But also remember to have fun.”
“Always try your best, and always be proud of yourself because if you do your best that’s all you can do.”