The sport of cross country, which Emaline Foster discovered in middle school, involves more than just getting together with friends and going for fun runs and walks.

Fortunately for Prairie Ridge and Foster, the sophomore convinced her dad to let her take a run at cross country, so to speak, which helped her find her path, so to speak.

Foster is the 2025 Northwest Herald Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, as voted by the sports staff with input from area coaches, after she capped her “rookie” season for Prairie Ridge’s Wolves by finishing second at the Class 2A state meet with a time of 16 minutes, 47.14 seconds at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

Jacob’s freshman Lennox Szymonik was also considered for the award.

After missing her entire freshman campaign because of a stress fracture in her right leg, Foster started the season by winning the McHenry County Invite (18:45.83). She then won the First To The Finish Invitational at Detweiller Park and later finished first at the Fox Valley Conference Meet (17:18.19), Woodstock Regional (18:36.37) and Lakes Sectional (16:40.12).

The oldest of two children of Simon and Jessica, Foster won Class 2A state medals in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters during the track season last spring. She recently answered some questions from Northwest Herald sports writer Joe Aguilar.

You were leading at state with about 50 meters left when your legs gave out, allowing Montini senior Sydney Gertsen to win in 16:34.79. Has that happened to you before, and do you know why it happened?

Foster: This was my second time. My first time was also at Peoria, the First To The Finish [on Sept. 13]. I didn’t fall, but I stumbled, and I almost fell. It was right before the finish. What we think happened [at state] was I kicked too early. It was about where the one-mile timer was. I couldn’t sustain that pace, and I think that’s why my legs gave out. And, also, I turned my head [to see if anyone was catching up], and so that made it even worse.

How did you get involved in cross country?

Foster: I did a lot of sports [soccer, gymnastics, dance, basketball]. I didn’t know what sport I wanted to do for a long time. In middle school [at Hannah Beardsley, the summer before sixth grade], I asked my dad if I could join cross country, but it wasn’t really something that I thought was competitive. I didn’t even know you raced in cross country. I thought it was just, ‘You run with your friends. And do you walk and talk?’ When I joined, I was like, ‘This is going to be so much fun. We’re going to be running in neighborhoods, and we’re going to be going on walks.’ I had no idea what races were. I didn’t even know that you were racing other teams. I thought that you were racing the team that you were already on.

What was your dad’s reaction when you said you wanted to join cross country?

Foster: He was like, ‘No, you cannot join cross country.’ He thought that I was just going to be there with my friends, and you have to pay [athletics fee]. He thought it was just going to be a waste of money. To join cross country, I had to go on runs with him to prove that I could actually run. It’s funny. I have this video of me running on a treadmill, and I stopped at the like one minute. I could not run. Somehow, my dad let me run [cross country], and just throughout the years, I started seeing that I could actually compete, so we started setting up goals. If I got this goal, I got, like, ice cream. I got rewards.

Did you have a favorite race this year?

Foster: I think probably First To The Finish [first-place finish, 16:56.20]. That was the one race where I had the most competition. I PR’ed. I finally got into the 16 minutes, and that just made me so happy. It was a big confidence booster. And that was the first race of the season where I really pushed out of my comfort zone.

What do you like about running?

Foster: I mainly just really like the feeling of accomplishment after running. It gives a purpose to my life. I like setting goals. I like working toward them and seeing how I achieved them.

Was there a teammate who most inspired you this season?

Foster: I think someone who inspired me was Flynn [Wolff, a senior]. Just her attitude toward running really inspired me. She gave the team this [attitude] that running is fun and that it doesn’t always have to be serious.

Have you ever run a marathon (26.2 miles), or is that something you might target someday?

Foster: I haven’t run one yet, but I really want to run one when I’m older, because it just seems fun. And it would be fun to do it with my team.