Out of all the crazy statements people say about Cross Country like how it is not a sport, we only run at parks, and that it is easy. I find how people say that the sport is not mentally challenging the craziest.

If you do go online and search up the most mentally challenging sports, Cross Country is not one of them, but I most definitely disagree with that. I could bet money on anyone who is not a cross country runner to run three miles without having a negative thought put into their mind. It is impossible.

Many people also confuse the term, mentally challenging. When they hear mentally challenging, people automatically think of memorizing stuff, which is the exact opposite of what I am talking about. I am talking about the mental things that you go through while doing a difficult task, for example, negativity. Many people, while they are running, are going to think, “Oh, I can not do this. This is hard. I am dying.” That is what I mean by mentally challenging.

Cross Country is one hundred percent a mentally and physically hard sport. No one can run and not go through pain, negativity, the thought of giving up, and etc. It is also ironic how many footballers at my school say it is not mentally challenging when they complain about doing sprints! Make it make sense!!!

Also, anything that involves running is mentally challenging, which is in most common sports! Just because Cross Country is not as fast-paced does not mean it’s not challenging.

A person on the site called Quora stated their opinion, “Cross country is definitely a physically and mentally challenging sport. Many people who do not run cross country often mistake cross country for an easy sport because all you do is run. Yes, we run a lot, and to people who do not run xc, it might sound boring. But running 5–7 miles each day in humid temperature is not as easy as it seems, adding that you are running fast. Cross country requires a lot of endurance since you are running long distances and hills. Cross country runners also do upper and lower body exercises to strengthen the muscles. If you aim to be one of the top runners, it requires a lot of training and time commitment.”