Most teenagers can attest to pulling an all-nighter once in a while. There are less who can say they had to run all night. On Saturday, August 30, the Liberty North High School Cross Country team did just that for their annual Overnight Relay Fundraiser. The festivities began at 7:00, when the entire team ran the first thirty minutes of the 12-hour relay.

“We’re here pretty much all night, and we sign up in 30 minute shifts… we run the parking lot trying to get in as many laps as we can with our little group. We run two times… and that is about it. Then we just hang out,” freshman Jamie Allen said.

When not running, the team is free to eat, play games, or just hang out. By 10 o’clock, many activities had already taken place.

“Some upperclassmen taught me how to rollerblade and then we started a baseball game,” Allen said.

By midnight, the runners were still going strong. The girls had tie-died, the boys had played baseball, and the fire pits had been lit. There was still plenty of energy.

“I expect a lot of people to start hitting the wall and start falling asleep and for other people to start getting slap-happy and fun,” sophomore Morgan Richards said.

Midnight came and went, and senior Dylan McCloskey shared his expectations for the next few hours.

“I expect to hit a wall of being way to tired at about 2 or 3 because I always do. I think it’s going to be a little crazy because I might try to go to sleep and Luke [Kernell] might throw damp, wet things at me. Last year it was animal crackers and this year I expect it to be cookies or something,” McCloskey said.

Though there were some attempts by runners to keep their friends awake, they did not involve animal crackers. By 2:00 am, however, the energy was waning.

“I expect everyone is going to start falling asleep, and then the sun is going to come up and we’re going to have to start picking up everything and waking people up,” junior Luke Kernell said.

Kernell’s predictions proved correct as the Overnight Relay drew to a close. At 6:30 am, there was a pancake breakfast, and then at 7:00, the team was free to go. The general consensus: a crazy but effective bonding experience.

“I love the Overnight Relay. It is my favorite thing we do in the entire season, and the crazier it is the better,” senior Reid Walters said.