Sprint to Sunrise: 100-mile relay kicks off Ronan cross-country season
Linda Sappington
The 100-mile route run by Ronan’s cross-country teamcarried them through Perma, Dixon, Moiese, Hot Springs Charlo and Ronan.
Daniel Martynowicz
Zachary Wagner runs the cross-country team’s first leg along Round Butte Road
Daniel Martynowicz
Daniel Martynowicz
Ronan’s cross-country team poses for a photo moments before starting their 100-mile journey
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Ronan High School’s cross-country team gears up for the season in an interesting and unique way. While most sports teams prepare for their season through a series of extended workouts and team-building activities, the majority of exercises and events are not more than a few hours long. They take place during the day, and few are able to combine an aggressive workout with a team-building exercise.
Five years ago, former cross-country coach and current team volunteer Gale Decker found a way to unify his team and prepare them for the season ahead: a 100-mile, all-night relay run through Ronan, Charlo, Dixon, Perma, Hot Springs and back to Decker’s home on North Crow in Ronan for a pancake breakfast. In keeping with tradition, the team met at Ronan High School Thursday night for the fifth annual 18-hour run.
“The kids love it,” head coach Noelle Decker said. “It’s more of a team-building thing than anything else. We come out of this from the beginning of the year with kids having established new friendships; it just kind of pulls the team together.”
Set up as a relay, each athlete runs two 3-mile increments. A pilot car follows the runner, while a school bus containing the rest of the team and a pickup towing a port-a-potty leapfrog ahead and wait.
Several parents and past athletes joined the procession. Among them was Dustin Goldsby, a former cross-country runner looking to give back to his old team and get in shape at the same time.
“I just want to help out and get in shape,” he said. “Running 9 miles is a great way to do that.”
Returning senior and state-ranked runner Daniel Romero said his favorite part of the run is the darkness. More specifically, he enjoys the fact that it is so dark you can’t tell how far you’ve gone.
“Seriously, it’s pitch-black out there,” he said. “Last year I freaked out because a cow got out of the fence and was just standing on the side of the road. I didn’t know what it was until I was right on top of it.”
Dimly-lit livestock aside, Noelle said organizers planned ahead for safety by choosing a remote route with little traffic, brightly-lit vehicles and safety vests for runners.
“We should be lit up like a Christmas tree this year,” she said. “The kids really do enjoy it. You’d think sitting on a bus that long would get old, but it’s a good experience for the adults and the kids.”
Having lost several seniors after last year, Noelle said her team is young but very talented, and she believes they’ll be a force to be reckoned with later in the season.
“Honestly, by the time state rolls around, I think we’ll be pretty tough,” she said
