Special THANK YOU to our 2025 Sponsors
Ace Hardware--Zion
Advance Auto Parts--Zion
American Outfitters, Ltd.--Waukegan
Healthyums--Zion
He Brews--Winthrop Harbor
Mr. John Davis--Check out his awesome race photos on our team Facebook page: Zion Benton Cross Country & Distance Crew
Ncognito Ink--Winthrop Harbor
The Outdoorsman Sport Shop
Smith Electrical Contracting--Winthrop Harbor
Smith Storage--Winthrop Harbor
Tracy's Doggone Farm--Wadsworth
Jewel-Osco--Zion
The Varsek Team with Keller Williams--Beach Park
Zion Cyclery--Zion
Zion Park District--Zion
Ace Hardware--Zion
Advance Auto Parts--Zion
American Outfitters, Ltd.--Waukegan
Healthyums--Zion
He Brews--Winthrop Harbor
Mr. John Davis--Check out his awesome race photos on our team Facebook page: Zion Benton Cross Country & Distance Crew
Ncognito Ink--Winthrop Harbor
The Outdoorsman Sport Shop
Smith Electrical Contracting--Winthrop Harbor
Smith Storage--Winthrop Harbor
Tracy's Doggone Farm--Wadsworth
Jewel-Osco--Zion
The Varsek Team with Keller Williams--Beach Park
Zion Cyclery--Zion
Zion Park District--Zion
In 2009, we hosted our first Bee Linked XC Race. Our mission was to link our current team to ZB alums, the Zion community, and the larger running community. Our hope was that the team would not only see running and fitness as lifelong endeavors, but also feel the support of generations of runners as they dared to dream big dreams for the upcoming season.
That first year, we had over 120 runners participate at our former course at Van Patten Woods. Since that inaugural event, the race has evolved--for a few years it was on the roads of Zion as a 5K, but more recently it has moved to the ZBXC home course at Shiloh Woods. Each year, the seniors help design the shirt, recruit racers, find donors, and coordinate all of the details that are necessary to provide a fun and memorable race.
The race is also our sole fundraiser for the season. Thanks to everyone who supports our race, we are able to purchase a ZBXC shirt for every member of the team at the start of the season in order to promote unity. We also are able to take our top runners to a weeklong mini-camp in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The trip begins with a day of camping, then moves to the dorms at University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. Runners learn more about their craft, train twice a day, participate in fun workouts like the Garbage Hill Relay and the Glowstick DMR, meet the college coaches and runners, and bond as a team. Additionally, the race funds two in-season overnight trips and races: Peoria for the men, and Sterling for the women.
In 2020, as the world hunkered down to avoid the spread of Covid, our seniors mourned the loss of the race. We found a compromise, however; we "hosted" a virtual event, complete with a shirt designed by one of our seniors Ashley Molina. We mailed out shirts as competitors took to their own neighborhood streets around Illinois, Wisconsin, and several other states. They emailed in pictures of their watches or apps to show that despite a pandemic, running was not cancelled! Since we were unable to go on any overnight trips in 2020, our seniors elected to donate 50% of our proceeds to Abiding Love Food Pantry in Zion. Despite the lockdown, we were able to rally runners and walkers to participate in our race, and we were able to donate over $1,500 to the food pantry to support Zion area families during such a difficult time. In 2021, the seniors realized that their predecessors had found a new way to bee linked to the community, and they wanted to continue the tradition of donating a portion of the proceeds to the food pantry. Each year since, the seniors have continued that tradition.
Thank you for supporting our race! We hope you enjoy your run!
Sincerely,
The Proud Coaches and Runners of the Zion-Benton Cross-Country Team
That first year, we had over 120 runners participate at our former course at Van Patten Woods. Since that inaugural event, the race has evolved--for a few years it was on the roads of Zion as a 5K, but more recently it has moved to the ZBXC home course at Shiloh Woods. Each year, the seniors help design the shirt, recruit racers, find donors, and coordinate all of the details that are necessary to provide a fun and memorable race.
The race is also our sole fundraiser for the season. Thanks to everyone who supports our race, we are able to purchase a ZBXC shirt for every member of the team at the start of the season in order to promote unity. We also are able to take our top runners to a weeklong mini-camp in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The trip begins with a day of camping, then moves to the dorms at University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. Runners learn more about their craft, train twice a day, participate in fun workouts like the Garbage Hill Relay and the Glowstick DMR, meet the college coaches and runners, and bond as a team. Additionally, the race funds two in-season overnight trips and races: Peoria for the men, and Sterling for the women.
In 2020, as the world hunkered down to avoid the spread of Covid, our seniors mourned the loss of the race. We found a compromise, however; we "hosted" a virtual event, complete with a shirt designed by one of our seniors Ashley Molina. We mailed out shirts as competitors took to their own neighborhood streets around Illinois, Wisconsin, and several other states. They emailed in pictures of their watches or apps to show that despite a pandemic, running was not cancelled! Since we were unable to go on any overnight trips in 2020, our seniors elected to donate 50% of our proceeds to Abiding Love Food Pantry in Zion. Despite the lockdown, we were able to rally runners and walkers to participate in our race, and we were able to donate over $1,500 to the food pantry to support Zion area families during such a difficult time. In 2021, the seniors realized that their predecessors had found a new way to bee linked to the community, and they wanted to continue the tradition of donating a portion of the proceeds to the food pantry. Each year since, the seniors have continued that tradition.
Thank you for supporting our race! We hope you enjoy your run!
Sincerely,
The Proud Coaches and Runners of the Zion-Benton Cross-Country Team
