Iowa high school athletes running cross-country compete in races of five kilometers (3.1 miles), and that’s for boys and girls. Greene County head coach Jeff Lamoureux begins his fourth year at the helm and he talked with Raccoon Valley Radio about why people become distance runners. “I think it’s that feeling of accomplishment. I talk to a lot of kids, trying to encourage them to come out. I will hear them say three miles is a long ways and they can’t run that far. I say that everyone can run that far, but not everyone is willing to run that far.”

The coach added it’s easy to see your progression. “For some, it’s being able to finish a race without walking. For others, it’s certain time goals they’ve set, and beating those goals and having that feeling of accomplishment, I think, is attractive to a lot of kids.”