On Friday, Nov. 24th, 2023, Lexington High School’s cross country and wrestling teams held the first annual LexGiving 5K event at Lincoln Field to collectively raise money for their programs.
Runners of all ages and skill levels were invited to run on the LHS cross country home race course and engage with the larger community during Thanksgiving break. Aside from the participants, many volunteers from both teams helped make the event run smoothly.
“There were alumni but also family and Lexington people as well as neighboring towns,” Dora Liao, a senior at LHS, said.
Runners participating in the event enjoyed talking to friends and connected over their common goal of completing the race. After crossing the finish line, finishers celebrated their accomplishments of completing a challenging race with lively music, food, and refreshments.
“It’s easy to just go out and run a 5K by yourself, but there’s something about the racing atmosphere that’s completely different from like any other time I’ve ever run… It [gave] me a new appreciation for the people that run up [the course] as fast as they possibly can because some of the hills are crazy,” Margaret Urdan, a sophomore at LHS, said.
In previous years, the race was much smaller, serving only as a “homecoming” race for LHS Cross Country alumni, known as the “Alumni Race”. This year, the race was rebranded and heavily advertised, welcoming over four hundred runners from across the area—the most the event has hosted—making it a successful fundraiser.
“I really liked [the fundraiser] because previously it was a much smaller thing. A lot less people, a lot more intimate. And this year I think it’s really cool that they’ve made it so hyped,” Liao said.
Due to the success of the event, the Cross Country and Wrestling teams are excited to see it grow and hope that it progresses into an even bigger event in the future.
“This was the first LexGiving [5k] race, but I am so excited for more in the future. It is always amazing to see the alumni who used to be on the Cross Country team and talk to lots of new people,” Claire Cunningham, a junior at LHS said.
For Liao, who will be graduating this year, she hopes to return in the coming years and celebrate this event with her past teammates in a full circle moment.
“As someone who’s been on the team for all four years, it’s nice to see people who I met as a freshman…I hope [the 5k] happens every single year, because if you have a first, you gotta have a second and third right? Next year I’ll be an alumni so maybe I’ll even run it next year”, Liao said.
