Category Archives: competition

50 Years of Running: A Proving Ground

Posted on November 5, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Between cross country season and the start of indoor track at Luther College, I’d often play pickup basketball in the gym. While I’d ceased my official basketball career after junior year in high school, my game actually improved because I … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Drawing On Experience

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Once the cross country season was finished that freshman year at Luther College, I experienced dorm and campus life without the daily commitment of early morning runs and afternoon practices. That was liberating, to some degree. It left time open … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: First, a flight. Then I woke up dead.

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Following a successful conference meet, our team earned a trip to Nationals out in Boston, Massachusetts. We’d swept the top five spots at the IIAC race and our coach Kent Finanger followed through on getting us an entry to the … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: A visit to the past, Warts and All

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

This past weekend I traveled to Decorah, Iowa to watch the conference cross country championship held at Luther College, my alma mater. I joined two long-ago teammates, Paul Mullen and Dani Fjelstad, to have dinner on Friday night and watch … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: A Perfect Score for the Ages

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The 1975 season saw plenty of jostling among the top ten runners to remain in the Top 7. Everyone had their ups and downs, but one runner in particular, my roommate Keith Ellingson, started coming into his own. At a … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: JV and The Dedicated Crew

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Those first few weeks of cross country competition as a freshman in college always features ups and down. At our most important early season meet, the Luther All-American Invite, I ran a credible 21:23 four-mile on the rolling home course. … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Yin and Yang

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

With several weeks of running in the tank, it was time for the team Intrasquad meet. Everyone knew it was coming because the course was marked out by the loyal campus groundskeeper. There was just one problem. He was a … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Logging miles, swapping tales

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The hours spent running with twenty-four guys proved to be great way to get to know people that freshman year in college. While dorm life was a rush of introductions and a socially manic environment by nature, running cross country … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Sweet summer sweat

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Following high school graduation, the pressure to find a summer job and earn “money for college” entered the picture for the first time. I stumbled around the first few weeks looking for who-knows-what kind of job, then got offered a … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Full Circle and Football Fantasies

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

After eighteen meets during the regular season in 1974, it was time to run in Districts, the first toward going downstate. In my case, that race would bring me full circle to the Kaneland High School cross country course at … Continue reading →

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