Landon Nichols has been on the cross country team for two years now. The cross country team is a group of students who run long distance. The races are 5ks, which is 3.2 miles. There are different groups that race.

Nichols says, “There are about 15 people per group per race. You have boys and girls, varsity, and jv and sophomore and freshman.”

“Sometimes we will run the same course twice in a year. Last year and this year it is the Cottonwood Complex. It is our region start and our region finish race course. Back in the beginning of last season I ran a 42 minute, but over the course of the season I cut it down to a 31 minute, but my personal record is a 24.23, but that was on a flat course.”

Nichols doesn’t just run all day though.
“I play the baritone sax in the jazz band. I am heavily involved in the theater class, like the stage tech. class, and I am probably playing video games at home if I am not doing anything else.” he says.
Nichols loves Three Musketeers.

Brandon Rico is a close friend of Landon’s. They are close friends both on the cross country team, and in Jazz band.

He says, “[Ladon] is always really positive. He is always cheering everyone up, telling jokes, and stuff like that.” He continues, “He is a very sarcastic person, honest. He is a very funny kid. He’s not afraid to tell you what you are doing wrong, but not in a mean way.”

The cross country team has been training ever since the middle of summer, waking up in the morning and going running.

“Training usually consists of over 3 miles runs. The intensive training we do sprints. Sometimes we go in the pool to cross training” Nichols says.

“The sport itself isn’t necessarily competition based; the competition is against yourself. You are trying to get a person record time. You will have people from Taylorsville and Murray, classes that in other sports would be against each other, like rivalries, at least in the boy’s jv teams, we just walk up and give each other high fives, we wish luck to each other. We are all running the same race; we’re just trying to be ourselves.”

Nichols enjoys the cross country team.

“It is a lot of physical work because you have to build up the muscle in your arms and your legs, but it is worth it.”