Read the whole article at https://mbird.com/sports/cross-country-the-great-equalizer/

Every September, I get emotional about grass. A whiff of earthy sod on a crisp September morning means one thing to my mind: it’s cross country season. First as a spectator and then as a participant, I spent my September Saturday mornings from 1999 until 2011 running through the muddy grass of cross country courses. Sunday mornings were for church but also for scouring the sports section of The Sharon Herald to read results from that weekend’s invitationals. In the fall, life was cross country and cross country was life. And I loved it.