An Invitation To All Students
from coaches Mark Buesing, Brian Twadell, and Matthew Condron

Do you want to be a part of a winning team? Do you want to have fun while maintaining a high level of health and fitness? Do you like to compete? Are you willing to work hard for the good of the team while improving yourself as an individual? If your answer to any of these questions is "yes," then you are a perfect candidate for the Libertyville High School Boys Cross Country Team!

In cross country you can run, improve, feel good about yourself, make new friends, and learn to compete. This is a sport for everyone. No matter what your physical abilities, you can get in shape, and be a valuable member of our team.

Cross country takes the runner across natural terrain, around a school, on a golf course, or in a park. Winding paths, sudden changes in surface, sharp turns, and hills challenge the runner. A starting line and finish line are the only common elements found on every course. In between, runners have to deal with the course as they find it. Libertyville's home course is Adler Park. High School races are 3.0 miles or 5,000 meters (3.1 miles).

Top Ten Reasons to Join Cross Country:

10. No previous experience is necessary.
9. You can be a part of a winning team.
8. You can run by yourself or in groups.
7. There are no size requirements.
6. Runner’s times determine the teams, not the coaches.
5. You can see and feel measured improvement.
4. There are no winners or losers, only finishers.
3. It is a healthy, lifelong activity.
2. No tryouts and no one gets cut.
1. Everyone runs a race at every meet.

"Coach Mark" Buesing

 

Coach Mark ran his first road race, the 4 mile Steamboat Classic, in 1976 at the age of 10. In high school Coach Mark was a two-time state qualifier in swimming.  In college he competed in triathlons, finishing 20th in the nation at the Collegiate Championships.  Coach Mark was also a competitive cyclist for 10 years; ranked as high as 18th in the nation.  He competed in the 1992 Olympic Trials, resided at the Olympic Training center in Colorado Springs, was a five time state champion, and was twice named Illinois Rider of the Year.  After marrying Tara, a collegiate cross country All-American, he rediscovered running and has competed at every distance over a mile including nine marathons.  He and Tara have been married since 1996 and have a son, Mason, born in 2003, and a daughter Lauryn, born in 2006.  Coach Mark teaches Physics and AP Physics at LHS. 

 

Coach Brian Twadell

Coach Twadell began running competitively at age 8 at the Gurnee Turkey Trot. He ran cross country and track at Viking Junior High School in Gurnee, where he set the school record for the mile in seventh and eighth grades and was undefeated in cross country meets both years. Coach Twadell was a varsity letterman in cross country and track for four years at Warren Township High School and earned varsity All-Conference and All-County honors three of those four years, as well as qualifying for sectionals as an individual in cross country for three years. He finished seventh in the 3200 meter run at the Illinois Prairie State Games his sophomore year. Coach Twadell also ran at the NCAA Divison 1 level on the cross country club team at Northern Illinois University. He completed his first marathon in 2001. Coach Twadell has been teaching English at LHS for eight years. He is married to Kelly, has three daughters, and is expecting a son in the fall of 2008!

 

Coach Matthew Condron

Coach Condron was a state cross country qualifier from Peoria Central High School his senior year in 1983. After high school he graduated from Moody Bible Institute, got married, started a family, started his own business, and mostly forgot about running. Then 20 years later in 2003 his son, Tyler, joined the LHS cross country team and Coach Condron rediscovered his passion for running. He has completed 3 marathons and has become one of the most successful Master's racers in the Midwest. Coach Condron is currently the overall leader in the Illinois Trail Ultra Grandslam, a series of four ultramarathons in Illinois. Along with his wife, Barb, they own and operate Image One in Libertyville and have four children: 19, 16, 14, and 11. Coach Condron also holds the parent record on the Adler cross country course at 17:55!

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