What’s the farthest you have ever run? A couple of blocks? A mile? Maybe two?

How about three?

Accidentally.

Paint Branch senior Harold Dorsey, a two sport athlete in cross country and track, has been running three mile cross country races for four years now, and has witnessed the transformation of the cross country team from county basement-dweller to state powerhouse in the course of his high school career. He realizes that cross country and track are very different from other sports around the school. While these sports do not receive as much publicity or glory as the other sports, he can’t imagine his life without running. “Our sport is your sport’s punishment,” he says, referencing a common runner’s refrain. “Running is extremely tough, and a lot of people hate it because of that.”

Harold began running cross country in ninth grade after trying out, unsuccessfully, for the junior varsity soccer team. “I was looking for a sport to do,” he recalls. “Some of my friends decided to run cross country, so I joined them.”

While friendship helped establish a base of talent four years ago, the same friendship turned into a closer type of relationship between the members of the team throughout his career. “I am really closer with all my teammates and coaches. We often have team dinners together and play basketball, capture the flag, and ultimate Frisbee together,” he says. This close relationship with the other runners builds a crucial sense of trust and confidence in one another. “As a team, being able to trust and lean on one another has contributed greatly to our success.”

Succeed, he has. Harold was the senior captain of a cross country team that was ranked second in Maryland at one point during the season. “I feel very happy for our team and Paint Branch’s distance program for the success we have gotten this past season,” he says as he reflects on the 2013 season that was possibly the best season in Paint Branch cross country’s history. Along with juniors Oliver Lloyd and Lorenzo Neil, Harold formed a distinguishable pack that epitomized the significance of cooperation  and teamwork on the course.

Harold isn’t just a cross country runner, however. With the cross country season having concluded in early November, the indoor track season is now in full swing. Harold has also run indoor track since his freshman year, and while both sports are identical in the type of exercise it requires, the difference between cross country and track, to a seasoned runner, is night and day. Harold says, “I like cross country more because the weather is great and it is fun to run on a variety of courses, [but] I think I am better at track because it is easier for me to pace myself by laps.”

There are also physical differences between the two sports. “Cross country has the added challenge of running over hills, streams, and all sorts of terrain upon which I have to create different race tactics. [Also], because of the weather and type of training we do, it is much easier to get injured during track season.”

For Harold, high ambitions have always been a part of his recipe for success. “I always give my full effort in whatever I am doing,” says Dorsey. His efforts have transformed him from a timid, unsure freshman to a very good, teammate, and (hopefully) Ivy League student. “Running has taught me that nothing is too hard, and that hard work will get you anything you want.” Harold can be sure of one thing – whatever he does, he will do it with confidence.