This previously ran in our December 2022 print issue.

Madelyn McCartney began her running career in elementary school where options for programs were limited — but her inspiration, sourced from her parents’ own running careers, pushed her to success in EHS cross country.

Transitioning from elementary to middle school, and now high school, running has been a battle for McCartney, but she has finally found her footing and some friends.

“There was definitely a difference, obviously in distance and the size of the team, but having a bigger team around me was a lot more fun,” McCartney said. “My teammates were also a big reason why I got to states, it just made it more fun to be with them.”

Training also played a large role in helping McCartney to push herself states and beat runners that had more experience. 

“Of course a lot of physical preparation, but a lot of mental preparation went into it, too,” McCartney said. “Our coaches were the ones that helped us fight through the preparation and work that we went through.”

Her coaches were one of the biggest keys to her success, as they constantly picked McCartney and her teammates up, and taught her where the strength of an EHS runner came from. 

“They did a lot to help us prepare, which included helping us train for what was ahead, and showing us inspirational quotes and videos of past runners that my teammates and I knew,” McCartney said. “There were times when we would do track workouts to improve our speed for the end of a race, so they helped a lot.”

McCartney is a part of a team of girls that have worked relentlessly over the past few months with only one goal in mind. 

“To make it to states we had to work really hard, but it was an enjoyable experience to run in the rain with them or bond with them in other ways than running,” McCartney said.

McCartney has been given a full dose of the high school running experience thanks to her parents, who encouraged her to run and keep running for EHS.

“My parents were runners in high school, so it made me want to run with my friends,” McCartney said. “The large amount of elementary school programs like Kids In Motion and it made it into something fun.”

Due to McCartney’s deep experience in running, it became something that came to her naturally over time, giving her a slight edge over most of her competition with very few mishaps.

“It was not that rough for me, with of course a few bumps such as the injury going into districts and states, but it went pretty smoothly,” McCartney said.

Now that McCartney has made it all the way through her first year of EHS cross country, three years are still ahead of her as she hopes to return to states.

“Yes, I want to improve in the races, and become an overall better athlete, to make it back to states with my teammates,” McCartney said. “It’s going to take a lot of training and help from the coaches, but hopefully it will all work out.”

McCartney is a bright star among a stacked cross country roster, and could make a massive impact on sports going forward. She plans on being with all of her teammates on her run to states and maybe even a state championship.