For Broken Arrow sophomore Zander Adair, cross country has become about more than improving times and chasing finish lines. In his three years with the sport, Adair has found a close-knit group of teammates who provide encouragement, accountability and a sense of belonging.

“What I love most about my team and teammates is the how many friends I have made. I’ve have met many people on the team who I am really close to now. I never would have met them if I didn’t join Cross Country,” Adair said.

That connection is especially meaningful on the difficult days. Cross country asks athletes to embrace long training runs, challenging workouts and races that test both physical conditioning and mental toughness.

“I don’t have a singular person who inspires rather my entire team does. If I have a bad workout or race, I can always count on someone on my team telling me to just keep pushing and I’ll get better,” he said.

Adair said one of his biggest areas of focus is maintaining motivation when he is training alone. While teammates can help push one another during practice, runners must also develop the discipline to complete the work when no one else is nearby.

“What I focus on in running is being able to run by myself. When I don’t have any teammates to run with, it can be hard to get the motivation to run. I don’t have anyone to hold me accountable for getting mileage in,” Adair said.

Among the teammates who have made an impact is Carson Strickland, whose example has helped strengthen the team culture.

“A current teammate who has left an impression on me is Carson Strickland, because of how dedicated he is to running, and because of his leadership on the team. He will give people rides to practice, and long runs, because he wants to see other people get better as well. He also makes sure everyone feels welcome on the team, and he is one of the reasons we are so close as a team,” Adair said.

On the course, Adair considers his finishing kick a strength. He is also working to follow his pacing plan throughout each race as he pursues his season goals.

“A lesson I learned last year that will help me this season is that I will need to push past the pain, and my limits if I want to progress as a runner,” Adair said.

After high school, Adair hopes to continue running while studying law at the University of Oklahoma.