A New Hope: Cody Cross Country Preview
By Gabe Bree
As the 2025-2026 school year kicks off, so too do the fall sports seasons, including Football, Volleyball, Golf, Tennis, and Cross Country. As always, all the sports and activities at Cody High School are looking immensely promising, but more so than the others is the high school Cross-Country team. Coach Maggie Kirkham says, “The drive and effort in my runners this season is very high, and the team dynamic is very positive. Everyone is extremely encouraging of each other.” Cross-country is known to be one of the most challenging sports in the world due to its intense practices, competitions, and weekly mileage. The races take place on gravel, grass, and uneven ground with hills and hazards spread throughout the course. On top of the difficult terrain, there is the distance of the races. Every race is 5000 meters or roughly 3.1 miles.
Tucker Schramm starts his kick as he closes in on the finish at the Wyoming Invitational in Cheyenne.
Many of the top high school cross-country runners maintain an average pace of five minutes and thirty seconds per mile or less. The ability and training it takes to achieve this level of mental toughness and endurance are unmatched in any other sport. In the collegiate realm, it is even more difficult with the added 10,000-meter race that is run along with the 5,000-meter race, so for there to be that much drive and want to win in a group of high schoolers is extremely impressive. Kirkham also told me, “The boys' team is going to surprise many of the other 3A teams. We have a lot more depth than we had last year, and they are looking very promising.”
In an interview with Syrus Bates, one of the varsity runners on the boys' team, he said, “I am very excited for the season, and I have been waiting all summer to get to run with the team,” he also said, “I spoke with the boys and we are all in agreement that we want to push as hard as we have to too bring home a state championship for Cody High School,” I also spoke with Noah Kingston, and he, too, is excited for the season to start rolling, saying, “I really think we have a shot at the championship this year. I would love to bring home a state championship and place in the top five individually.”
Noah Kingston surges head at the Wyoming Invitational in Cheyenne.
This cross-country season, there is a new level of drive in the Cody High School runners, especially the boys' team. They are pushing exceptionally hard in practice and in competition. The Cody High School cross country team is going to surprise the state this year, so stay tuned and hopeful for the Broncs and Fillies' success this season.