Ever since sixth grade, junior Anne Rust has been running cross country.

When Rust began her cross country journey, one of the main reasons she started running was because her friends were too. “I feel like a lot of my friends just did it,” she said. “It was fun and I’ve just been doing it ever since.”

Another influence for Rust was her mom. Additionally, her mom emphasized the fact that other sports aren’t always something you can do later in life, but you can always go out for a run. Today, this is also what inspires her to keep running cross country.

Rust decided to run for La Salle because it was a continuation of what she had been doing in middle school. “Also, the cross country team is really wholesome,” she said. “I just really love running with them.”

Someone she really looks up to is Lexi Heuwiler, a class of 2022 graduate, who was on the cross country team.

While Rust does not run for any club teams, she does enjoy running on her own outside of La Salle.

Rust appreciates the supportive environment the cross country team provides. “Everyone [is] super welcoming,” she said. “They always made sure you had someone to run with and it was really fun.”

Even though cross country is more of an individual sport, there is still a really big emphasis on having a team atmosphere, according to Rust. “That is the really nice thing about cross country,” Rust said. “You can focus on yourself but there is also a team aspect.”

“We rely on each other a lot when we are running,” Rust said.

Her favorite thing about cross country is that it makes her focus on herself and learn her boundaries. “You really have to have a strong mindset going into [races] and I like that,” she said.

Cross country, despite being very fun, also provides Rust with challenges, the biggest being the distance. In competition, Rust runs in the five-kilometer race, which is a little over three miles.  “It’s really hard to stay positive for that long,” she said. 

Her end goal for this season is to have a new PR, which is a personal record. During the season Rust also hopes to improve on her mindset, specifically when it comes to being positive and running hills. 

Being an upperclassman this year is something Rust really enjoys. She likes the leadership role she has, along with the opportunity to be a “big sister” to the underclassmen. 

Her favorite memory of this season so far has been a summer conditioning camp in Bend. Many members of the team went and participated in several fun activities and many trail runs.