FAMILY
Growing up cross country Molly Moening reflects on what cross country has meant to her
ERIN, MOLLY, Brad and Maeve Moening pose for a photo together. Brad Moening coaches the highland park cross country team. the sport has become a way of l ife for the family. Submitted photo
BY MOLLY MOENING
S
ince 2002, my dad Brad has been the
coach of the St. Paul Highland Park Cross Country team. Starting in 2005, he created the Hoof n’ Bike. This is a relay race with partners that alternate running and biking over a 13 mile course. This year at the Hoof n’ Bike, my team was made up of my sister Maeve, our friend Lucy, and me. We fell off of the lead pack during the race and we were not in contention for winning. When I decided to take an off trail shortcut, I got separated from them and had to run the last two miles by myself. I turned around and ran back
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twice to look for them. I had no success, so I turned back around and finished without them. When I got to the finish, they still hadn’t caught up to me. It turned out, when we got separated, they got worried about me and stayed behind to look for me on the trail, fearing bad had happened to me. The Hoof n’ Bike has always been a big part of our cross country team and I have been a part of it every year, from losing my teammates this past year, to setting a course record with one of my best friends, Audrey Miller, in 2017, to sleeping in my stroller at the waterstop my mom put on the first year when I was a baby. I have always loved being a part of the Highland Park (HP) Cross Country team’s traditions.
The cross country team has always been a big part of my life. During the summer, I would love going to the Como Park Relays every Wednesday night in August. I could run the kids race for a quarter against my cousins. My older cousin, Ben Olson, a current SDSU Jackrabbit, was known for pushing the rabbit of the race, an MDRA runner named Kirt Goetzke. Aside from being able to race with my cousins, the Como Relays provided another opportunity to be around the HP Cross Country team. The girls on the team always made my sisters and me feel welcome; we were their own little cheerleaders. If the girl’s team made shirts, they would make three extras for my sisters and me. The
