Sweating profusely with his body aching, all while enjoying the beauty of Seward Park. This is where a young Maddox Fox will find a love for a sport that will change his life.
‘’My entire life had revolved around sports,’’ Fox said.
Fox has been involved in sports since he was a child, beginning with soccer as a goalie before discovering his true love, cross country, at O'Dea High School. He fell in love with running as soon as he started. Earlier in the year Fox decided to focus on cross country and track and will not make a return to club soccer next year.
This dedication has paid off. During the summer, Fox was fortunate enough to be sponsored by The Feed. He didn't expect to be sponsored, so he was both happy and surprised. The Feed offers products to long-distance athletes, including those participating in cycling, running, triathlons, skimo, and sailing. Fox is extremely grateful for this sponsorship, as it allows him to experience professional running firsthand. The sponsorship motivates and pushes him to work hard and improve while enjoying the whole journey.
This passion is more than just the physical exertion and the competition, it is the network of people he has come to grow close with through the sport.
‘’I will never forget some of these people I run besides," Fox said.
Cross country has changed Fox's life forever, allowing him to discover a new love other than soccer, make lifelong friends, and achieve great success.
He, along with his teammates, have helped the Irish cross country team achieve things they haven't done in a long time.
After 25 years, O'Dea made state as a team. It was a dream come true for Fox. The cross country team has their sights set on the state championship race which takes place this Saturday at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco, Washington.
In the future, Fox wants to continue participating in cross country. He is already forming an opinion about where he wants to go in college. But for running, he considered marathons or more extreme cross-country races.
Fox is now a junior. He’s not the same frail freshman anymore that just thought cross country would be just something to try out just for the fun of it. He is now a key player for the team that helped break the 25-year curse and go state.
Fox and his teammates all now run for a mutual dream. A dream of a state title
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