For the first time in years the AHS cross country team is going to state. Madeleine Rowe, junior, qualified for state, bringing her team and her school pride. Rowe sat down with The Colt to talk about her accomplishment.

The Colt: How does it feel to have qualified for state in cross country?

Madeleine Rowe: It feels amazing because both my freshman and sophomore year I made regionals but I’ve never done anything like make it to state; and apparently it’s the first time in a while anyone has made it to state here.

TC: What made you interested in cross country?

MR: Well, I started running competitively the summer after fifth grade and it was just summer track. I didn’t even know cross country was a thing until freshman year because in my old district they didn’t do cross country in middle school. I started my freshman year because my mom and the coach told me it would just be running across land and not a track. So I was like that sounds fun, it’d be like a 5k but on grass.

TC: What keeps you motivated?

MR: You’ll hear from a lot of runners that running is sort of mental and a lot of us are kind of insane because we willingly put ourselves through almost hell. I don’t know, it just becomes addicting after a while. You love pushing yourself just for the high at the end. It just feels really great when you achieve a victory and you rise up, it’s very fulfilling.

TC: What are some difficulties you’ve faced?

MR: Lack of recognition mostly. Beyond that, it’s not really all that much because I’ve always been able to run successfully and I’m trying to work on being a good motivator for the entire team.

TC: What makes you feel like you’ve had a good run?

MR: I usually judge my best runs by how miserable I feel because my best times have come when I don’t know what’s going on and I just feel terrible by the end of it. Of course the runner’s high is always a plus but I mean, while you’re racing you feel terrible.

TC: What do you hope to accomplish in cross country in the future?

MR: I hope that somehow running will get me into college, maybe a university or something. My big dream, since I started running, is to go to the Olympics one day, so that’s where I’m hoping it will carry me.