Kevin Schreiber, a Saint Viator graduate of the class of 2013 and former runner for the Lions cross country team, currently runs cross country at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. In his third year at St. Thomas, Schreiber reflects on his years running at Saint Viator and looks to give advice to this years varsity team.

“Running cross country in college compared to high school is different in a variety of ways,” said Schreiber. “In high school, cross country races are five kilometers long whereas in college, races are eight kilometers long which is about 10 to 12 more minutes of racing.”

“Another difference between high school and college cross country is the number of races in the season,” said Schreiber. “In high school, we raced at least 10 times a season, more if we went to state. In college, we have six races and the possibility of two more if the team qualifies for the national championship. You have to make the most of each race because there are so few.”

“The training in college is more intense then compared to high school” said Schreiber. “At Saint Viator , we would run anywhere from 30 to 50 miles a week. In college, most guys are doing at least 60 miles a week with some of the top guys running 85 or more miles in seven days.”

Saint Viator taught Schrieber to stay persistent by “staying committed to my training even when it may be difficult or time consuming.” Schreiber said that he misses “the relationships that he made with teammates and coaches the most” from his days at Saint Viator.

“Sectionals junior year after the race when we found out we were going to state as a team for the first time in SVHS men’s cross country history” was Schreiber favorite memory from running cross country at Saint Viator. “It had been our goal since the first day of summer camp and to hear the results that we had qualified as a team and achieved our goal was surreal.”

To finish, Schreiber said, “Stay confident in [your] abilities as a runner and learn from each race, good or bad.”