Senior Simon Lane and sophomore Connor Lane, brothers on the cross country and track and field teams, have turned running into a shared passion. From Simon introducing Connor to the sport to motivating each other through workouts, the Lane brothers have made running a key part of their relationship.
These responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
What drew each of you into running, and what do each of you enjoy about the sport?
Simon: I signed up freshman year kind of not being super into it, and I just enjoyed the process of getting better. It’s a sport where, if you put in the work, it’s really likely that you’re going to improve. I really like that aspect because hard work really pays off.
Connor: I also started freshman year sort of following Simon’s footsteps. I really enjoy the everyday aspect of running. Going out on the trail every day is very fun, and I am happy to do it.
What was it like to join the team having your brother there?
Connor: I thought it was really nice having Simon on the team. He introduced me to everyone and I got to know everyone pretty quickly.
Do you motivate each other and if so, how?
Simon: He’s beating all my times from earlier in high school. I want to hopefully run fast enough so he can’t get there by the end.
Connor: I’ve run faster than him so far, but the seasons I’ve run have been seasons where Simon hasn’t run very well, so this will be the one to see if I can do it.
What does your average running routine look like?
Connor: We run together most days. I think it’s brought us closer together.
Simon: A couple days a week we do really formal workouts. Then for most days, we just jog, and I’ll run more mileage with him. I try to run with him as much as possible. It’s great. It’s a great thing for camaraderie.
Do you have a favorite memory being on the team together?
Simon: We made state (cross country) as a team last year, which was a great accomplishment. We got to go down there, and I thought it was very fun.
Connor: Yeah that was very meaningful because all that hard work paid off. It wasn’t supposed to, but with a little bit of luck involved, we got there.
How do you celebrate your successes together?
Simon and Connor (in unison): Original Pancake House
How has running shaped your relationship?
Connor: I think that being on the team has really shown me what’s possible and how to have a goal and mind and reach for that. I think that just putting in hours a day running has brought us closer together.
Simon: We spend a lot of time running and talking about running. I think his presence on the team has been very positive for me. He pushes me, with his enthusiasm and all. I think it’s made my love for the sport grow a lot. We also have other teammates and enjoy spending time with them together and it’s just a good group.
How do you both feel about the upcoming seasons for indoor track and outdoor track?
Connor: I’m looking forward to it. We’re doing some offseason training. I just want to get faster this season.
Simon: We both have extremely ambitious intentions to really train hard over the offseason and do really well on track. My goals are to break the school records for the 3200, 1600, 800, which are the distance events. I want to hopefully, hopefully win state. I’m training a lot, harder than I ever had. I think for my brother this is going to be a really, huge breakout season for him because he is an unbelievably hard worker. I think he’s going to be a lot faster than me when it is all said and done, so I will hopefully get the school record for maybe a year or two and then watch him break them.
