Before Saturday races, the cross country team always meets the Friday before to eat a hardy, carb-filled dinner. Parents offer a variety of foods, such as pasta, garlic bread and salad. While most of the athletes enjoy all the foods, there are always favorites.

“The garlic bread and pasta is always the best part,” Robert Einhorn (9) said.

Carbo-loading is a tradition in running that has been going on for years. Carbo-loading increases the glycogen in your muscles giving the athlete more endurance. The dinners consist of foods that have a lot of carbs in them, that’s why there’s always pasta. 

The dinners are great for not only improving endurance but also for team bonding. 

“Gotta eat! It is a very important pre-race ritual and team bond experience,” Clancy Robinson (12) said. 

The cross country team has had a phenomenal season this year. The boys team being led by the Kash brothers and the girls team being led by former Gatorade Girls Cross Country Runner of the year, now committed to NC State, Grace Hartman (12). 

Robinson said, “The reason we eat pasta the night before the race is to fuel our bodies and run to the best of our abilities.”