Spencer runs . . . Fast: Cross Country’s Record-breaking Recruit sets new records.

By Kaitlyn Perkins

Coming in at lighting speed Spencer Britton ‘27 ran a time of 16:29 at this year’s Knights Crossing meet, setting an NCS 5k record for that race. Shortly after breaking this record, he went on to set a new personal and school record  on the Allegheny course, clocking in at 16:03. 
 
Despite it being Spencer’s first season on the Raider’s Cross Country team, he has already contributed so much, helping the varsity boys place 3rd out of 27 teams at Knights Crossing.

“Spencer just brings a good positive energy to the running environment that we are always happy to have,” teammate Harry Anderson ‘25 said, “and it's good to have someone to push with.” 

“He's helping us do what we're going to do all season,” teammate Josh Miao ‘25 remarked, “and he’s just a great guy to run with.”  
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​As far as training goes, he certainly pushes his teammates to be their best, although no one can keep up with him. 
  
Coach Ed Dickenson had more than a few complimentary words about the team’s newest recruit.
 
“Spencer Britton has been a fantastic addition to our varsity XC team. Last year, he ran 16:48 for the 5k and recorded a 4:32 mile during the track season, and even before he joined our team, I could see he possessed enormous potential and drive. He fully embraces the training process, and I love his enthusiasm and friendly nature. After only training with our cross country runners for a few practices, he seemed to almost immediately become a wonderful part of the fabric of our program, as if he had been with us for years. He has already put in a major performance this fall, finishing second at Knights Crossing and setting a new school record of 16:29. It will be incredibly exciting to watch his progression as he moves through the rest of the season.”

This season, the Cross Country team is striving for a win at States, and with Britton in the top five, there's certainly a chance. At the previous Knights Crossing meet, he helped boys varsity place 3rd overall and came in 2nd individually out of 220 other varsity boys. At the Bengal’s Clash meet, Britton helped the boys varsity place 2nd overall and most recently he contributed to a 4th place and 5th place finish respectively at the Clash of the Titans and Alleghany meets.

Spencer got into Cross Country because of his dad, Coach Jeff Britton, who’s now an assistant coach on the team, and who also ran in high school. When asked who his greatest role model is he said his dad. Coach Britton is a big part of Spencer’s training, he coaches Spencer and gives him weekly training programs to maximize his speed and endurance. Now Spencer is carrying on Coach Britton’s running legacy as he takes to the hills at lightning speed. 

Spencer transferred from Glenver to North Cross this year for academics and athletics. He noted that the teachers at North Cross really care about the students and that’s one of his favorite things about our school. Spencer mentioned that his English teacher, Emily Mountcastle has been an especially good teacher. 

“Spencer has improved the class by his thoughtful contributions to class discussions.” Mouncastle told me. “He is smart and provides great insights.” 

Spencer is looking forward to participating in indoor and outdoor track. He aspires to be a professional runner in the future and would love to be featured in the 1500m at the Olympics. His current 1600m time is 4:32. He also hopes to beat his dad’s PR in the 1600m race by running a time of 4:05. Currently, Spencer is working on getting a PR of a sub-16 minute 5k. 
 
Spencer can be spotted hanging around campus with his teammates, Finn Chaney ‘28,  Justus Horner ‘28  and Peter Anderson ‘28. You might spot him in the cafeteria on mac and cheese day, as that is his favorite food. You may see him running around campus, just make sure not to blink, or you might miss him. If you do get the opportunity to say hi to him, you should because his friends and teammates Finn and Jacob have nothing but good things to say about him. 

“Just meeting with him was an instant connection, there wasn't any problems trying to get with cool him,” notes teammate Jacob Johnson ‘25. “He is always straight up and is always cool about everything. He’s just been a great teammate, a great support system, and a great person to face off with.” 

Finn Chaney ‘27 sums Spencer’s character up nicely. 
“He's a lot of fun and he's really dedicated to the sport.”

If you don’t have a chance to meet him he’s got TikTok, SpencerRuns. 

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