Three cross-country runners at San Marin are documenting their season on Instagram as they train and compete for a chance to qualify for state championships.
Sophomores Chase Cloney and Jacob Gomez Nilsson and senior Justin Catanatch record almost every day and post updates for over 680 followers (as of Oct. 3) on their Instagram account, JCJ Running. They share how far they run in a day, as well as content from meets. This offers followers a look into the daily routines of high school distance runners. Special guests, like Principal Andy Boone, San Marin athletes, and leadership students, can be seen with the runners on their page.
Gomez Nilsson manages the account for the most part. The idea came about during the 2024 Cross Country season. Gomez Nilsson and Catanach started documenting their running, and Cloney joined soon after.
“It’s great because a lot of other athletes have been telling me that [the Instagram account] is helping them, and I think that’s a really good thing,” Nilsson said.
Cloney started running in sixth grade for fun and has since improved his skills greatly. He is now running a 4:35 mile. Cloney’s ultimate goal would be to run professionally, and the State Championships are a step in that direction.
“We’ve definitely had setbacks, but we are progressing,” Cloney said.
Senior Justin Catanach is in his last season of San Marin cross country.
“I hope we inspire people to follow through on all of your goals,” Catanach said.
As the regular season wraps up, the runners anticipate what is to come next. They must be fast enough to qualify for North Coast Section Championships, either as a team or individually, which means being among the top 18 fastest runners.
JCJ Running plans to keep documenting the road to State Championships. The account will continue to give insight as to what running cross country is like.
