It's easy for runners to slack off in the winter. Park of Cottage Grove's Evan Bonneson knows it. But three years ago, he found a solution to maintain and improve his fitness, all while having fun with friends.
He joined the Nordic skiing program.
"It keeps you moving all throughout the winter, which is something a lot of guys forget to do," Bonneson said. "If it's really cold outside, you don't want to go for a run. That sounds horrible."
Bonneson, a senior, just finished his fourth season of cross-country. This past Monday, he already started running captain's practice in anticipation of his third Nordic season for the Wolfpack.
He's part of the trend that sees certain athletes participating in cross-country, Nordic and track and field — three sports that are compatible but still different.
"It's kind of the distance trifecta that you see with a lot of the guys who go on to do great things in college and after that," Bonneson said.
Both sports work a lot of the same leg muscles, but Nordic "brings out a whole school of different ones, including the inner legs. That's always a whole new experience for most of the guys that come out," Bonneson said.
At Forest Lake, 18 of a record 33 boys who ran cross-country this fall are coming out for Nordic skiing this winter.