The Devoted Dynamic Duo

By Megan Goetcheus

staff writer

Photo courtesy of Cathi Rohen

A good life lesson to learn at a young age is that you don’t have to win all the time and be the best to have fun. Senior runners Kyle Rohen and Tyler Clifford are two young men who have figured this out. They have perfected the skill of “just doing it for the fun of it,” which is a concept that is difficult for many to grasp. 

Even though the duo managed to be within the last five finishers to cross the line in over twenty of their high school races, their spirits were among the highest on the team. “We managed to do this while having excellent conversations with each other and other runners from different teams,” Clifford said. Both Rohen and Clifford realized early on that they didn’t have the natural talent of speed. Rohen specifically realized that he didn’t have a chance to win around the same time he realized that running was more about having fun and staying in shape. 

Photo courtesy of Germain Cole

The pair first met in 5th grade, and they have grown closer ever since. The friendship started before cross country, and running together just made their bond stronger. Their speeds are about the same, so before every race they would talk about their strategy. No matter what they decided on, they did it together. “We always made it fun, waving at people we knew running by, and even saying hi to my grandparents, or Kyle’s mom,” Clifford said. 

After four years, they can easily look back on their experience on the cross country team and smile. Clifford talked about how supportive the coaches and teammates always were. “We were the goof balls of cross country and everyone cheered us on and loved us for who we were,” he said. Rohen on the other hand, summed up the entire experience in just 3 words, “friends and fun.” 

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