In It for the Long Run: Behind the Scenes of High School's Most Competitive Race

Four talented sport creatives — photographers Don Smalls III, Jordin De La Rosa and Robby Zacharias and curator Connor Surdi — were given unprecedented access on race day to capture the unfiltered emotion of cross country racing. Many of their photographs offer a first look at the sport's next elite pros, who will be competing for future national records, international titles and gold medals.

Cheering on the racers were many of running's brightest stars, some of whom competed in NXN themselves. "NXN is bigger than one race," says Cole Hocker, Nike athlete and the 2024 gold medalist in the men's 1,500m. "When I ran it, NXN opened my eyes to what was possible for me in the sport. Six years later, on the pro side, I can see how transformative the experience is for young runners. It teaches them to dream big and see their full potential. That's why it's so exciting to be here supporting them."

On December 7th, weather conditions were creating a trademark winter morning in Portland, Ore.: Temperatures were in the low to mid-40s, set in an overcast sky with constant rain flurries. The grounds of Glendoveer Golf Course became a mud pit overnight. But if you're a serious cross country runner, you take a kind of masochistic pleasure when the conditions are stacked against you.

The hundreds of runners, made of individual and club qualifiers from eight regional championships across the U.S., shook out their morning legs in their warmups, logging an easy mile or two across the grounds, the fog lifting.

Soon, it was time to race. They toed the starting line. The gun sounded. The pack was off and running.

The 5k course was a flood of mud-soaked singlets, each color representing a different regional champion. A team sport, powered by the individual will to win. A solo performance that ultimately ladders up to group success, by runners who form the broader and future portrait of American distance running. The sport offers a beautiful mix of dichotomies. Of course, they amount to a common theme: elite competition.

"NXN taught me the power of competition and provided me the opportunity to compete against the best in the country," says Elise Cranny, Nike athlete and current national record holder in the women's indoor 5,000m. "NXN completely changed the trajectory of my running career. Now that I'm into my professional career, NXN gives me the chance to help inspire this next generation of runners and show them what's possible for their own futures. They energize me and remind me why I love this brand and this sport so much."

If the slick conditions were meant to be a stumbling block, the competitors didn't know it. The winning team on the men's side, Niwot High (Colorado), put together one of the best team performances in the history of NXN, tallying an impressive 70 total score. The women's individual champion, Jane Hedengren, a senior from Timpview, Utah, broke the course record and won by a stunning 41 seconds. For the hundreds of runners who crossed the finish line, their legs burning as they collapsed into the mud, their performances weren't a finish line at all, but a new starting line: the beginning of their next competitive chapter.

"NXN was more than just a race for me," says Charles Hicks, Nike athlete and former collegiate XC champion. "It was the pinnacle we could build our season around, something we could conquer together, and an experience we'll share for the rest of our lives."

In a sit-down Q&A with the young runners, Cole Hocker recounted how it felt to be in their shoes six years ago, listening to Nike medalists and record holders who had just competed at the sport's biggest stage in Brazil.

"I remember sitting exactly where you guys are," he told the runners. "Hearing those pros talk up on stage, I made it my goal to get to where they were. I adopted this mindset to race every race like it was my last, like my life depended on it. If being great is your goal, that's the only way to do it."