Winter is upon us and almost everyone is complaining about the weather. The Winter Warriors on the other hand, don’t have time to complain about the elements. They just bundle up more and go on with their workouts. Who are the Winter Warriors? They are a group of long distance runners that meet everyday after school to go for runs that vary in length and time. This is the group’s 18th year as an organization. Boys track head coach Mike McGuire runs the program and started it the year he took the track coaching job 18 years ago.

“We never use the excuse that it’s too cold to run, you just bundle up more and work harder,” McGuire said. Senior Camron Sheets recalls running in “winds so fierce you were horizontal to the ground with sleet, sand, and grit blowing all around, but you just have to go faster to stay warm.” McGuire believes that if you can train in this weather and get used it, you will become a much better runner.

Their workouts typically consist of running a few miles on some trails and then going into the weight room to strengthen their core and legs. They do however stay inside some days and run stairs, but only if the weather is considered to be unsafe. “We don’t use cold as an excuse, but if it is flat out not safe, I’m not gonna let them risk injury for it,” McGuire said. That doesn’t mean this group of guys don’t end up with cuts and scrapes while having some fun on the run. “My worst experience on a run is when I fell in an icy river or driving my knee into some rocks and ice with full running force going into it,” sophomore Tayler Klienow said.

Despite all the cold and the bruises, the runners love every second of it. “I used to run because it was a feeling of bliss, but then I became family with everyone,” Sheets said. Sheets loves being out in any weather, any place, at anytime running, as long as he has his team is around him to make some memories along the way.