Part of Derby High School’s cross country team is runner Ellison Beran. This season is the last season for Beran to run high school cross country, so senior year goals for Beran are big. Beran wants to keep improving time and be able to finish this season on a positive note. With all the time improvements, the ultimate goal is for the team to qualify for state. As a senior, a goal is to help the team run better together as a team.
One race Beran is looking forward to is the league race at Clapp Park in Wichita held in mid-October. “It is our last race with the entire team all together and usually has many strong times that come with this excitement.” A challenge for Baran this season is to test metal toughness. “I am also challenging my mental a lot this season and looking forward to how mentally strong I can get and how that can translate outside of running in the future.”
During the offseason, Baran and teammates would meet and run together. Together the team worked on increasing milage, speed workouts, and timed runs towards the end of the summer. Last season, Baran was consistent in runs which can be tough because outdoor elements are always a factor in cross country. With all this extra training building up to the season, Baran and teammates will hopefully see the goal of a state appearance accomplished.
Next fall, Baran would like to attend Kansas University in a pre-law pathway. Baran would like to stay connected to the running community but does not plan to run for KU. In addition to cross country, Baran competes in track. Besides running, Baran is connected to many clubs, organizations, volunteering, and is a barista.
