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Landmark parents build new cross country trail

A collaborative effort of parent volunteers has resulted in a new cross-country trail for Landmark Christian School's middle and high school students. The 3,200-meter course begins at Landmark’s Garwood Stadium property, about two blocks from their main campus, and is designed as a fully integrated course allowing both interval and distance training.

Volunteer and cross-country parent Ken Speir coordinated the efforts of the many parents who worked on the trail, which officially broke ground on the heavily wooded property in early August. “Quite a few parents went through sawing and hauling off wood to clear about two miles of trail,” said Spear. “It will probably be one of the nicest trails anywhere in Georgia and hasn't cost the school anything. It’s been a labor of love for these parents.”

Individual parents, most of whom have children on the school’s cross-country teams brought in bulldozers, bobcats and other equipment at their own expense. “It was really hard work - all parents did this, we didn’t call in a construction company,” said Jim Leonard, whose son runs on the cross-country team. “We had people going through there literally with machetes and garden tools cutting off root pieces and clearing the trail.” One parent even brought in twenty-four truckloads of free mulch to help.

Cross Country Coach Bill Thorn also praised the parents’ efforts. “It’s a really nice gesture on the part of all those parents, to go out of their way and spend their time doing this,” he said.

While some finishing work remains for the trail, the Landmark cross-country team now has an “off-road” and convenient course to train on. Volunteer organizer Ken Speir is amazed by what the parents were able to do in so short a time. “We’ve come from a dense forest in early August to a two-mile, usable and safe trail for the kids. It’s happened because of a lot of dedicated folks.”