Running is a sport that never comes naturally. It takes a lot of patience, stamina, and round-the-clock work to be among the best. For Jackson Gould, he has used his passion for racing to make a major impact for Guilford boys’ cross country in just his first season.

The freshman grew up in a family of runners, getting involved in recreational races as a youngster. After accomplishing a rare feat in his elementary years, he went on to take his running more seriously.

“My parents have been runners for as long as I can remember, and they have always encouraged me to run with them. We did a lot of 5ks when I was young. In fourth grade, I set a new town record in the mile run, and I loved the feeling of pushing myself to the limit and competing,” says Jackson. “I started running competitively in seventh grade on the Adams cross country team. Unfortunately, I was unable to compete in the eighth grade season because I broke my hip while playing soccer and missed the season entirely.”

As a freshman with the Grizzlies, Jackson accomplished many personal gains on the course. After the regular season portion of the campaign in which he was consistently the top performer on his squad, he began a strong run of postseason performances. At the Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) Championships, Jackson finished 17th out of 120 runners with a final time of 17.23.30, setting a new personal record. He was also named to the All-SCC Second Team.

“Competing against some of the top runners in the state and the SCC as a freshman was humbling. It was an exciting and fun opportunity to be able to compete with such fast individuals,” says Jackson. “It was also an honor to qualify for some later races in the season to compete against some of the top runners in the state and country.”

After the conference meet, Jackson competed on an even bigger stage in the Class MM State Championship race, where he finished 20th out of 165 runners with a final time of 17:31. This time qualified Jackson for the State Open Championship meet, where he finished 101 out of 190 runners. Once Jackson learned that he could compete with the top runners in the state, he gained a lot of confidence in himself.

“My freshman season was very exciting. I learned so much competing in some very large races for the first time. Luckily my coach, Captain Enzo Taverna, and some other older boys helped me develop as a runner. I learned how to take a very individual sport like running and make it a team sport,” says Jackson. “I really enjoy running on a team. I think one of the highlights was being able to qualify for State Opens after a great run at the Class M Championships. Our team really performed well at states, given how young we are.”

Guilford boys’ cross country Head Coach Jon Rivera grew instantly impressed with Jackson’s undoubted abilities as a runner. He explains that the freshman made his mark early on, due to the makeup of the squad’s roster. Additionally, the experience he gained on the biggest stages will help him tremendously over the course of his high school running career.

“He came in and stepped right into our number one runner. I don't think I've ever seen that, having coached for a long time, having a freshman be the leader of the team and the top runner,” says Rivera. “It was a smooth transition - he adjusted very well to that position of coming in. Usually for guys, they're fastest when they’re juniors and seniors. He stepped right into the role of our top runner, and it was consistent, hard work and practice, right out of the gate. I think the thing that jumps off the page is him qualifying for State Opens as an individual. We had a really young team, and it was a huge accomplishment for him. It is experience that is going to make him that much better going forward. There is a lot of success ahead of him.”

Something that could’ve held Jackson back early on this fall was the lack of an upperclass mentor to motivate him, pace him, and challenge him to improve his times. Despite not having a junior or senior to look up to, Jackson flourished in every way and never wavered from his early success.

“Sometimes, you have a faster upperclassman on the team that would challenge either a freshman or sophomore runner to be faster,” says Rivera. “He did not have that and had to push himself, which I think is a challenge that he had to overcome.”

Jackson will be training with a club team in the winter for indoor track, and he will also be competing on the outdoor track team for Guilford in the spring. As far as cross country goes, the sky is the limit for Jackson. Now that he has gotten his foot in the door in the biggest competitions that high school cross country has to offer, he just wants to continue to get better, hopefully placing even higher in the standings next fall. With a strong team-first attitude on display, Jackson also wants to encourage his fellow runners to develop even further on the course.

“I look forward to helping and leading this team to championships and qualifying for many bigger meets in the future,” Jackson says. “Because our team is so young, it gives us a rare opportunity to work hard. I also want to be able to develop all together as a team in order to become one of the top competitors in the state.”