Ben Wiley is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communicationstudent assigned to cover Betty H. Fairfax High School for AZPreps365.com.

Cross country has fueled Karol and Sebastian Macias' competitive spirit and strengthened their sibling bond on and off the course.

The siblings attend Betty H. Fairfax High School in Laveen where they participate in cross country under the guidance of coaches John Shalongo and Lydia Edwards. Karol, a senior,  started running track as a freshman and joined the cross country team her sophomore year. Last year, she convinced her younger brother, Sebastian, to join the team when he entered Fairfax as a freshman.

“My family would go to my cross country meets,” Karol said. “[Sebastian] would watch me and my team run and at first he would say that the sport looked really easy and he would make fun of us. So I told him that when he comes to Fairfax, he should run for our team.”

Following his sister’s advice, Sebastian embraced cross country, quickly realizing that it isn’t as easy as he thought. Yet, the siblings’ dedication to this sport drives them to show up for practice at 6:15 a.m. every day before school. Their hard work seems to be paying off as both runners have vastly improved.

Prior to this season, Karol’s race times generally hovered around 29-30 minutes. However, this year, as Fairfax’s No. 1 girls varsity runner, she achieved a personal best of 25:06 at the PXU Cross Country Championship on Oct. 16. At the same meet, Sebastian also obtained a personal best time of 21:28, five-seconds faster than his best race performance last season. 

Participating in cross country has brought the brother-sister duo closer to each other and helped them in other aspects of their life. Sebastian particularly enjoys running with his older sister every day and appreciates the tips she offers for improvement.  

“Now my sister and I have more time to spend with each other,” Sebastian said. “Usually at home, we are not that talkative and just go our separate ways to our rooms and do whatever there. This sport really helped us come together as siblings and bond over the mental toughness and all the strengths it takes to become a cross country runner.”

The siblings' supportive energy rubs off on their teammates as well. Edwards, who has gotten to know and coach the two of them the past few years, commented on how she has seen their sibling bond develop and positively impact the whole team’s morale.

“Karol is amazing. She is a good teammate, has a strong personality,” Edwards said. “Her brother is the same as he is really encouraging to the boys and likes to get the group to run together. They have a really good sibling relationship as they seem very close, support each other really well, and seem to enjoy spending this time together before Karol graduates.”

Karol and Sebastian credit their family’s support as an impetus for their hard work and constant improvement. Edwards noted that their mother, Veronica Cerda, and older sister, Giselle Calderòn, are often in attendance at the meets, watching and rooting for their family members. Calderòn expressed pride in her younger siblings' accomplishments.

“I am proud that they are doing sports,” Calderòn said. “It has impacted them in a positive way because it has brought confidence to themselves and given them experience with being part of a team.”

Through cross country, Sebastian has become more aware of what he is eating as he looks to continue cutting down his race times, and Karol has developed strong friendships with her teammates. Additionally, the discipline needed for this sport has translated to the classroom for both runners, who focus more on keeping up their grades so they can participate in athletics.

The AIA Sectionals on Wednesday at Crossroads Park in Gilbert will be Karol’s and Sebastian’s final race this season. As their time as teammates comes to a close, they remain grateful to cross country for bringing them closer—not just as teammates, but as siblings.