On an unusually warm Sunday October morning at Valley Fields, a sea of blue Marquette shirts gathered for coffee, donuts and stories of previous seasons. The Marquette track & field and cross country programs were hosting their annual Alumni Run, a tradition that connects current athletes with alumni who once wore the same blue and gold uniform.
The teams first arrived at the field at 8:30 a.m. to clean up trash around Valley Fields and Canal Street before going on a run through Milwaukee. Junior Emma Coon said the yearly event goes beyond competition, offering the team a chance to reconnect, give back and learn from the alumni.
“We see each other a lot,” Coon said, “but we don’t always get to do team-bonding things.”
Marquette cross country has a storied history dating back to 1923, with generations of student-athletes leaving their mark on the program. One of those people is head coach Jack Hackett, who’s in his second season at the helm.
Hackett, who ran cross country and track at Marquette from 2009-2013 and earned multiple program top-10 marks, is well aware of Marquette’s strong connections to its alumni.
“For the alumni, it’s an excuse to come back and get together. I also like it because it’s a mirror for both sides,” Hackett said. “The current athletes can see what it looks like on the other side, and we ‘old folks’ can be reminded what it was like to be on the team.”
Many of the runners, like Coon, look through that mirror and see former teammates and friends.
“I did see some of my teammates from last year who graduated, so it’s nice to talk with them. They ask us about how our season’s going and wish us luck for the upcoming races,” Coon said. “Talking to the alumni who used to run cross country helps too; they know how it feels going into a race.”
Coon is no stranger to that pre-race feeling. Through all four meets this season, she has been the pace-setter for Marquette and has set PR’s in the 4-kilometer, 5-kilometer and 6-kilometer.
Hackett and the team are preparing for the Big East Championships on Oct. 31, with the NCAA Regionals not long after on Nov. 14. Before the final meets begin, the Alumni Run gives the runners a valuable opportunity to unwind and relax while still preparing.
“We’re starting to taper and edge toward the postseason,” Hackett said. “This is a nice excuse to get the whole team together, a bit of a well-wish before the conference championships.”
Although the alums don’t have any postseason meets ahead, Hackett understands the competitive itch that former collegiate runners are always eager to scratch.
“We’ve seen pulled calves, we’ve seen all sorts of things,” Hackett said. “People dig deep, and it’s fun to get to come back and compete a little bit.”
As the alumni and current athletes mingle and jog east along Canal Street to begin their run, competitors like Coon move one mile closer to the climax of their season and one step closer to becoming alumni themselves.
“It’s nice to see the alumni and think about how someday we’ll come back too,” Coon said.
This story was written by Conor McPherson. He can be reached at conor.mcpherson@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @ConorMcPherson_.