While many fatigued runners flocked toward the long-desired finish line, one runner, senior Eli George, began reminiscing about his six-year cross country career. George was competing in the state cross country meet, his final race. George has been a member of the cross country program since seventh grade and has consistently been on varsity or upper junior varsity throughout his entire high school career.
While running many fast times throughout the years, George’s impact on the team has extended largely off of the course and into the relationships and the impacts on his teammates’ lives. Teammate Ethan Lawson explains that George has personally impacted his life in a big way.
“Eli has impacted my life in so much more than just running. He’s like an older brother in a way,” Lawson said. “He’s always helping me keep my morals high, comforting me with mistakes I make and helping me answer questions I have about life.”
For George, impacting others has come naturally, and he looks at it as a greater feat than simply looking at oneself.
“When you see someone else work hard for you, you understand that it’s no longer about me, it’s about the team,” George said. “If it’s for the team and we’re all working for a greater goal than just ourselves, it’s wonderful.”
George’s team-first mentality has led him to become a large part of the team, and as head coach Matt Parent puts it, George has become a well-rounded leader for the team.
“He’s really looked up to. He’s respected by a lot of the guys on the team. I mean, because of his personality, and just the type of hard worker that he is, they look to him for guidance,” Parent said.
As a leader, George is always focused on helping others for the greater good of the team. He has also taken many experiences from the sport that he says have helped to show him many important life lessons.
“When I look back, yeah, I got stronger legs and a tougher mind, but life is a race. And the thing is, there might be competitors in the meets or at practice but in life, it’s us against ourselves. It’s no one else. And there’s a few people that have helped me realize that the person you become from all of this is really what it’s all about,” George said.
Looking back on his cross country career, George emotionally says that what he has learned from this sport will last him a lifetime.
“I have learned from all of this that there is no stopwatch at your grave, there is no finish line,” George said. When you take your last breath, it’s about the people that you affect along the way and how hard you are going to try, not necessarily about the place or the medal.”