Imagine having just run the cross-country race of your dreams – the perfect course, the perfect conditions – and beating your personal record by almost two minutes! 

Heading into the next race, expectations were high. It was the only single-loop course of the season, and it was on a golf course. Just one big hill, then smooth running. Your team is excited; this was the one to look forward to.

But race day had other plans. It is unseasonably hot, about 10° warmer than usual, and the course has changed. The single loop is gone, replaced by two laps on a smaller loop, with some parts cut through brush – not the pristine golf course you imagined. That one hill? Now a series of hills. And it is HOT.

This is where my freshman stood: on a course he didn’t expect, with conditions working against him, and the dream of maintaining his streak of PRs for every race this season shattering before him. He joined his team at the starting line and ran. It ended with his slowest time of the year. He was tired and disappointed, but proud to have finished with his team. When asked about the race, he shared what his coach told them before the start: 

“Sometimes life gives you lemons and there’s no sugar for lemonade. Be grateful that you have lemon for your water. You just have to go and do the best you can today with the circumstances you have. Don’t worry about your time, just go run.” – Coach Teufel

Watching this team, I saw lessons worth carrying far beyond a cross-country course:

• The coach set the tone. He didn’t offer false hope or promises. Instead, he gave his team honesty and perspective.
• Although he couldn’t run with them, Coach ran spot to spot to check in and encourage them. 
• Afterward, he reminded them that the day wasn’t about times, it was about finishing. And every runner finished strong.
• No one set a PR, but five athletes medaled, and the team celebrated together.
• The younger three boys chose to run as a group, even pulling in a runner from another team. They encouraged each other and crossed the line within seconds of each other. It was hard, but as a team, they made it to the end.

We often talk about silver linings, but not every hard day has one. Sometimes the win is simply finishing – showing up, running the race, and crossing the line, even when the conditions aren’t ideal. That is where perseverance is built.

As Coach reminded them, some days there’s no sugar for the lemonade. We just run with what we’ve got, and that’s where strength is built.

Leadership is not only about our own perseverance, but also about helping others see that finishing well, especially in tough conditions, matters. And isn’t that what leadership often requires? Helping people stay steady and finish strong, even when the race looks different than expected.