1. Drills
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  3. Race Tactics

Pack Running

Run together as a group, sharing the lead so everyone stays strong.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Run as a group of 3 to 5 at steady pace.

Core: Two. Compare only with your own last plan.

Ages
14 and up
Time
20 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Teammates, loop, watch
Level · skill
Advanced · Race Tactics

The steps

How it works

  1. Run as a group of 3 to 5 at steady pace.
  2. Change leader every 2 minutes.
  3. Call out turns and footing.
  4. Keep the group together until the last 3 minutes.

Coaching point

Together is faster.

Safety: Drink water and eat a meal or snack before and after, run in the cool part of the day, and stop and tell an adult if you feel dizzy or sick. Thunder or lightning: go inside now and wait 30 minutes after the last one.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Course planner: walk a short course with a partner and decide together where to settle and where to surge. Then jog the plan together.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (one surge), Core (two), More (three). Compare only with your own last plan.

Story

You are explorers with a map, planning the best path.

My best

Beat your own count

Compare only with your own last plan. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free cross country week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

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An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.