Early morning, August 30, NC Cross Country (NCXC) gathered at school to participate in an annual team-building event — the intrasquad relays. Originating during the COVID-19 pandemic, the relays served as a replacement for cancelled races but joined the annual schedule after discovering their success as a fun and rigorous workout that builds camaraderie. Now, runners enjoy the event on a week without a scheduled race, using their time to improve both their abilities and team spirit.
The 1,000-meter course spans NC’s freshmen football field and trails, with an exchange zone where teammates swapped turns running. 23 teams, composed of two or three people, ran a total of 8,000 meters, providing a thorough workout on familiar turf. To ensure fair competition, coaches paired runners together according to their race times, matching the fastest players with the slowest.
“From a team building, camaraderie standpoint, [the relays are] just great. The kids have a lot of fun, they work really hard, and you can award some medals to some kids who might not always get them. Teamwork matters — you think of cross country being such an individual thing, like everyone’s racing trying to get their [individual race] time, but there’s a team score in cross country. The better they know each other, the better they’re going to encourage each other during the races,” head coach John Huff said.
As a secondary competition, the team participated in a costume contest, offering an exciting break from their usual uniforms and further strengthening the bond between the runners. Required to complete at least one leg of the race in costume, runners decorated themselves with colorful Sesame Street shirts and face paint, flew with their Superman capes and hobbled along the course with canes and grey wigs. In a true display of team spirit and enthusiasm, a group covered themselves with blue body paint and white clothes, transforming themselves into Smurfs and winning the costume contest.
After warming up and stretching, the first leg of runners took off at 8:05 a.m.. Spectating family and friends watched as the athletes disappeared into the trail, eagerly anticipating their return to send off the next round of runners. Leading the pack, senior Peyton Lewis sprinted to the exchange zone first, setting off a wave of cheers from viewers. As the race continued, Lewis’s team — including himself, junior Aminieta Jaiteh and sophomore Kourtney Henry — fought to maintain the lead, followed closely by a team including magnet senior Tobi Ometso, junior Samantha Tenai and sophomore Alonso Guevara.
During junior Kelia Agassi’s third lap, her right leg began experiencing stabbing pains. The injury had plagued Agassi intermittently for three weeks, creating difficulty during both practices and races. Despite previously taking a running hiatus, the injury prevailed and Agassi pulled out of the race. In a show of compassion and team spirit, her teammates supported her weight as she exited the course. Coach John Mitchel took her place, allowing Agassi’s partner, junior Emma Wells, to finish the event. While Agassi awaits a formal diagnosis, the NC athletic trainers suspect an iliotibial (IT) band irritation.
As the race continued, Lewis secured a first-place win for his team, with a notable lead on his opponents. Omoteso quickly followed, earning his team a silver medal. Finally, junior Cruz Johnson’s sprint across the finish line awarded the third-place medal to sophomore London Orie and himself, securing the final winning spot and causing an abundance of cheers.
“I’m not originally from Georgia, and running is one of those sports you can join at any age, and there’s always going to be someone there for you. Even if you’re competing against someone on another team, you’re all going through the same thing at the same time. It’s just such a great community and what inspired me to keep going,” Homier said.
After each team completed its race, a brief award ceremony took place. The three groups that finished first received medals, as well as the band of Smurfs for their entertaining costume. As runners celebrated their time together, a palpable team spirit hung in the air while the students helped to clean the site and shop for NCXC merchandise. Ultimately, each student left with a stronger connection to their teammates, filled with optimistic morale as they prepare for the remainder of their season.
