The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard from 2 Taylorville High School Cross Country runners at their Tuesday noon meeting at the Moose Lodge.

Liam Bettis and Elayna Harker are runners on the T-H-S Cross Country Team and talked about their training and experiences.   

Bettis told Kiwanis members that training last summer has paid off, with the boys’ team winning 4 meets already.   He then gave a history of T-H-S Cross Country, and is excited to see the program growing.  

Bettis added that many T-H-S Cross Country runners have won college scholarships as a result and are still running.   Bettis encouraged the public to come to their Senior Night boys’ team run next Tuesday afternoon at 5 at Jaynes Park in Taylorville.

Elayna Harker, a sophomore at T-H-S, shared her running experience which dates back to 6th grade.  She shared with Kiwanis members that she and other T-H-S Cross Country athletes, accompanied by coach Chad Sutton, attended a camp this summer at the University of Colorado.  Harker also talked about the mental challenges there is when running Cross Country.

Bettis is ranked as a runner as second in state class 2-A, and 45th in the nation as a runner.   Harker is 9th in state class 2-A and 334th in the nation.

The public is reminded that this Saturday is the last Kiwanis Drive-Thru Donation Day in front of the radio station studios at 918 East Park from 8:30am til noon.   Kiwanis members will be collecting non-perishable food and monetary donations to benefit the Taylorville Food Pantry.   It’ll be the last Drive-Thru Donation Day for the Kiwanis Club for 2025.  

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.  Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.  For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.