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By Ayanna Eckblad

Cross country is a sport that requires discipline, skill and the drive to push yourself past your normal limits. At Albert Lea High School, sibling athletes Mya and Caden Hanke are doing just that this cross country season.

Mya and Caden are the children of Nick and Amy Hanke and have lived in Albert Lea their entire lives.

Over the summer, the siblings prepared for the season by running every weekday at 8:30 a.m.

Mya is a senior this year. She began running in seventh grade and has continued ever since.

“Running is difficult, but it teaches you a lot,” Mya said. She explained running has taught her perseverance.

Her favorite part of the sport is the sense of community there is.

“Runners are very nice and supportive, so it’s fun to be around people that run,” she said.

Mya’s goal heading into this season mainly has to do with beating her own personal record. She explained she has had the same PR since freshman year and is looking forward to trying to surpass it.

In addition to cross country, Mya also participates in track and field and is on the Albert Lea High School dance team. Her track and field related recognitions include making Podium 6 in section last year and Podium 5 two years ago.

This year in cross country, Mya was 21st at the first meet of the season, which took place Aug. 27 in Albert Lea. She also was one of Albert Lea girls cross country’s top-five individuals at the Faribault Invitational Sept. 6.

High school sophomore Caden is in his fourth year of running. Like his sister, he also runs track and field as well as cross country.

When cross country season begins, Caden said he loves meeting new runners and having competitions. He has a goal this year to get into the 17s.

Caden said one of his greatest memories from the sport is watching the varsity team go to state and win the section.

His best advice for younger athletes is to “stick with it.” The first few days are really tough, he said, but it gets easier after a while.

Mya and Caden have one older sibling, Gavin Hanke, who is also a decorated athlete when it comes to running. Between cross country and track, they said, he went to state four times.

Gavin graduated in 2022 and is a sophomore at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.