The Power of Synergy

The Conference Meet for Cross Country is just over the hill.  If you study Olympian Eric Liddell’s life closely, you’ll see that Liddell’s greatness wasn’t just in his individual speed. It was in his spirit of teamwork, humility, and unity. Whether running on the cinder tracks of Edinburgh or serving in a missionary camp in China, he lived out a principle every cross-country runner needs to understand: you can’t win alone.

In a Cross Country race, a fifth-place finisher can be the difference between victory and defeat.  Synergy is not just theory—it’s how meets are won. One runner’s breakthrough day can inspire another’s comeback. A fifth-place finisher can help bring the team to the podium. The key is not having nine great individuals, but nine hearts beating in rhythm—each committed to something larger than themselves.

Synergy doesn’t happen automatically. It’s forged through shared suffering and mutual respect.

• Train Together. True synergy begins in practice. When a team endures hill repeats, tempo runs, and long miles side-by-side, the shared pain becomes shared strength. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron.”
• Encourage One Another. Liddell was known for encouraging teammates before races. He would pray with them and remind them that running was an act of worship, not self-promotion. A cross-country team thrives when encouragement is constant—when runners celebrate each other’s progress more than their own PRs.

Once synergy begins, it must be protected and maximized.

• Align on Purpose. A team with a clear “why” will outlast a team with just raw talent. When everyone buys into the mission—to honor God, to run with integrity, to lift each other up—the team becomes unstoppable.
• Value Every Role. The front-runner and the last-scorer both matter. Liddell reminded athletes that “the great thing is not winning the race, but finishing well.” That means every runner’s consistency contributes to the team’s success.
• Serve Each Other. The best teams are servant teams. When veterans mentor younger runners, when captains pick up cones, when the fastest stay at the finish line to cheer the slowest—that’s synergy in motion.

Know What?  There’s no bench in Cross Country. You are all “All In”.  Every stride counts. Every finisher adds a score that affects the outcome.
Likewise, in the Kingdom of God, there are no spectators—only participants. Paul’s metaphor of the body in 1 Corinthians 12 fits perfectly: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you.’” Every runner, like every believer, brings something unique—endurance, leadership, humor, faith, grit.

When everyone embraces their role, the team becomes a living testimony to God’s design for unity. Liddell wrote, “In the dust and heat of the race, character is revealed. You cannot run well without your brother.”

I love watching teams on their pre-race run on the course. There is a fluid force moving in one motion.  When a cross-country team runs in sync during the race, something beautiful happens:
They become more than athletes. They become a fellowship—each one pushing and pulling for the other.  Victory becomes more than a medal; it becomes a mirror of what happens when people unite around purpose, faith, and love.

Eric Liddell didn’t just run for Scotland—he ran for God. And in doing so, he showed us what true synergy looks like: individuals surrendered to a greater mission.  When your team trains that way—running not for self-glory but for the joy of shared pursuit—you’ll feel His pleasure, too.

A terrific opportunity awaits in Charlotte.  Go grab it!