Aurora Castaneda is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Arcadia High School for AZPreps365.com

Brady Lord crossed the finish line at the Desert Twilight meet alone but determined. He refused to let exhaustion stop him from achieving a personal best.

This type of race separates the casual runner from one chasing a personal record. Lord, a senior at Arcadia, crossed the 5K finish line on Sept. 26 in 17 minutes, 22 seconds—more than a minute faster than he expected.

“I really had to center myself and focus on running my own race,” Lord said. “I knew it was a flat course, a fast course, and the weather is beautiful out right now. I knew I could push myself, and it was just full confidence from there.”

Lord’s confidence was backed by perfect conditions. It rained before the race, cooling down the flat course and easing the heat that often drains runners' energy, making it harder to run. With the sun peeking through and cloudy skies, ideal conditions emerged. 72-degree weather and calm wind helped him maintain a strong pace all throughout the race. 

“Last year, it was super hot,” he said. “Now it’s 72 degrees, super nice, no wind, and it really helped me cruise. It felt really easy.”

The senior captain’s journey hasn’t been without obstacles. Lord opened the season with a groin strain in the opening race up in Flagstaff, preventing him from running for nearly three weeks.

“I just completely couldn’t go to practice for the first week, and then I hit the bicycle for a couple of weeks after that,” he said. “It was hard, but I’m fully recovered now and back to racing.”

Even during his recovery, Lord’s dedication didn’t waver. His mother, Mattie Lord, said he remained dedicated to the program to support his teammates.

“Despite being injured, he still showed up for all of the practices, served his role as captain, and encouraged others,” she said. “He even rode his bike alongside the team as they ran in practice. When he was finally released to run again, he celebrated.”

Lord’s path to cross country was unexpected.

He played football during his freshman and sophomore years as a safety for the Titans. When he first started at Arcadia, he was just 5-foot-4 and 108 pounds—one of the lightest players on the roster. Now, as a senior, he stands 5-foot-8 and weighs around 130 pounds, but back then, his small frame made competing against bigger players challenging.

“He was brave, determined, and invested,” his mother said. “He was coachable, celebrated the success of his teammates, and fast—but he didn’t get as much playtime as he would have liked.”

After two seasons, Lord decided to leave football before his junior year to focus on track and cross country.

“It was a hard decision for him,” his mom said. “He wanted the authentic high school football experience, but his size didn’t matter in cross country. He realized he could apply his athleticism and speed to a sport that was a better fit.”

Arcadia cross-country coach Sarah Boustila encouraged him to give running a shot to improve his 800-meter time.

“He used to be a football player, but he wanted to improve in track, so we finally convinced him that cross country would do it,” Boustila said. “We’ve had a lot of football players during summer practices, and they’d join us because they wanted to get conditioned and ready for the season, but they never stayed, and Brady did.”

Now a runner, Lord says he is driven in practice by teammates Aaron Kline and Chase Braden for pushing him in workouts.

“We keep each other in check,” he said. “Chase is who I aspire to be like. He runs incredibly fast, Aaron is who I do my workouts with. We push ourselves, we support each other, and they really encourage me.”

One of the main motivators for Lord is the team’s spirit. Even when running alone during the Twilight meet, he felt the energy from his teammates and the other runners on the course.

“The vibe at Twilight is always spirited,” he said. “Everyone is coming in with really high energy. Even with rain earlier, we were still feeling good about the course. You can feel the Arcadia Titan spirit.”

His mother said that what cross country has given him goes far beyond medals or times.

“Cross country has taught Brady that he’s amazing the way he is,” she said. “He doesn’t have to be tall or weigh 200 pounds to fit in. He has natural talent, and when paired with consistent effort, he improves. What he’s gaining from cross country will serve him well throughout life.”

The senior also looks forward to future goals, not just for him, but for the team also. Lord hopes the boys team will make state this season. With fast teammates and a strong fifth runner, he believes they are on the right track to qualify for the state.

“Aaron and Wyatt are really fast runners. We already have a fifth man coming in,” Lord said. “We’re already seeded to a point where we would make state right now if we were to run our time. I feel really good about our chances, and I’m excited to compete one last time."

Cross-country may have been an unexpected path for Lord's high school career, but it's one that's brought out his best every step of the way.

“This team, the community—it’s really amazing. Everyone’s so welcoming and so friendly,” he said. “I wouldn’t rather do anything else. I love competing with these people every week.”