We called it the Super Course.

It was a five-mile loop starting at the high school, winding through neighborhoods, past a cemetery, local parks, and elementary schools. During high school cross-country season, our team ran it at least once a week.

High school cross-country was my first introduction to running, and memories from that route are vivid. There were two epic hills that tested our young legs and lungs. We passed the houses of other classmates—and, in my case, girls we were trying to impress. You had to pick up the pace past those sections.

We leap-frogged across one of the busiest streets in town—twice—to finish the loop. I doubt most coaches would allow that crossing today. As a parent now, the thought makes me nervous. Back then, it was part of the run.

A few miles in, there was a hidden water fountain in a park that felt like an oasis in the heat of late-summer Georgia. You wouldn’t know it existed unless someone showed you. That was the job of the seniors—to pass along the secrets of the route.

I loved running the Super Course. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Sometimes with friends, sometimes with people I barely knew.

Recently, I caught up with an old teammate and friend—he reads these newsletters, so maybe he’ll see this one. The Super Course came up. He said he used to have epic battles there with another runner on the team.

I never knew.

It made sense, though. He was our best runner—one of the best in the state—and qualified for the Foot Locker National Championships. The guy he battled was fast too.

I didn’t know because their races happened so far ahead of me.

I ran the same route. I had my own struggles and small victories. They happened further back.

Maybe that’s what makes running special. Everyone runs the same course, but each runner gets their own experience, their own memories, their own battles. It doesn’t take away from anyone else.

It’s all additive.

Everyone wins. Some are faster (like my friend). Some are slower (like me). Some are even slower (I did beat a few). But everyone’s still a runner.