A cross country meet is much more than meets the eye. Running in circles is just the tip of the iceberg for the athletes. From the extensive preparation to race-day strategy, everything about an XC meet is meticulously planned.

Mentally preparing for a cross country race is a very extensive process, and can begin as early as the night before a meet. Naperville North junior Joshua Pietsch explained how the race is all-consuming in those 24 hours before.

“For me, from right before I go to bed [the night before] until the race begins, all that’s on my mind is the three mile race. I have to make sure I’m eating the right things, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep,” Pietsch said.

Pietsch also detailed what he does once the team arrives at the course.

“When we get off the bus, the first thing I try to do is walk the course to mentally prepare for the layout, especially hills. After that, I sit down, stretch out, and then do a dynamic warm-up right before the race starts,” Pietsch said.

The team’s dynamic warm-up usually consists of non-traditional partnered stretching and a light jog.

Once a runner figures out their plan of attack, all of their focus is directed on how to best start the race. The beginning of a race is crucial and it can set the tone for how a runner will compete for the rest of the meet.

Team captain McLean Griffin, a junior, explained how teamwork can make or break the outcome of the race.

“From the time the gun goes off, it’s all about getting out and finding a position in the race where you can set yourself up to be successful for the remainder of the race. You want to get as many teammates as you can to the front so we can push through for the rest of the race,” Griffin said.

A half mile may not seem like a large part of the three-mile race, but those two to four minutes can easily dictate how a team member will finish the meet.

Once a runner settles into his or her pace, the next couple of miles can be a struggle, and junior Nick Trattner knows the feeling. After successfully moving up to the front of race during his first mile, his next challenge became staying in his place.

“During the middle of the race, you want to maintain position to give yourself time to catch up and pass other runners. You always want to try to form a pack with teammates because it’s easier to work together and you have motivation,” Trattner said.

Sophomore Jake Allen was able to pass two people during the last half mile of his final segment, and he recalled what was going through his mind.

“At the end of the race, you have worked the whole race to get to that last half mile, so you have to give it all you have and leave every ounce on the racecourse,” Allen explained.

This mentality was a reason for the Huskies’ good showing at Plainfield North’s meet on Tuesday. Runners were split into two divisions, one for freshmen and sophomores and one for Varsity, and both represented NNHS well.

The Freshman/Sophomore XC team finished second in their division, led by the pair of Joshua Tong and Tomas Gilvydis (fifth overall). The Varsity team was led by Griffin and Allen, who as a duo finished third overall. Also finishing in the top 15 for their division include Trattner and Brian D’Souza (Varsity, ninth), Griffin Blecke and Matthew Cherry (Varsity, 12th) Nick Valle and Gregory Shobert (Varsity, 15th), Alexander Wagner and Nicholas Chen (Frosh/Soph, 7th), Lucas Gerbert and Nicolas Williams (Frosh/Soph, eighth), Owen Chilcoat and Jeremy Liu (Frosh/Soph, 11th) and Wesley Wu and Cristian Hernandez (Fresh/Soph, 15th).

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It all starts with preparation for Josh Pietsch. On the bus rides to meets, Pietsch typically listens to music like Homecoming by Kanye West.