It’s 97 degrees outside on Aug. 30. You would expect to see students indoors, escaping the heat. But despite the extreme temperatures, the Sage Hill cross-country team continues to run.

Girls’ team captain, junior Brittany Murphy, looks at the conditions on a positive note.

“It’s definitely difficult to adjust to, but at the end of the day it makes you a better runner and prepares you for a successful season,” Murphy said. “In cross-country, there is this saying: ‘Pain is weakness leaving the body’.”

I can say with first-hand experience that the team is growing stronger everyday. Running in a heat wave completely drains the body.  You can spot runners after practice, drenched in sweat and gulping down water in attempts to revive themselves.

Yet not all react with such enthusiasm about the weather.  Senior runner Eitan Jaffe commented, “It sucks,” while senior Sonya Mital noted that she felt “like a bun in the oven.”

Luckily for the runners, temperatures are beginning to cool down. But no one can dispute the fact that the team continues to beat the heat.

The cross country team recently competed in the 33rd Annual Cross Country Classic on Sept. 20 at Estancia High School.