St. Andrews football takes on Ultra Run

LAURINBURG — St. Andrews Knights football coach Bob Curtin had no hesitation in signing members of the football community up for the second annual “Run with the Knights” Ultra Run. His reasoning was simple.

“Selfless service,” Curtin said. “People need to understand that serving others is a good thing. Helping others reach their goals and potential is a good thing. This one event allows us to come together. Money is being raised for homes, food items are being raised, and it helps other people reach their goals.”

The event, sponsored by the Scotland County Habitat for Humanity, started on March 23 at 8 a.m. The participants had until 8 a.m. on March 24 to run as many miles as possible in order to raise funds. The football team had 40 members participate, clocking over 400 miles collectively, smashing the 2023 record of 244 miles.

“We ran over a 1.1-mile course here on campus,” Curtin said. “It took them around the ponds, so it was really scenic. It was a little bit on the roads, off the roads, so the trails were nice. And it was a beautiful day, so running our campus was actually quite nice.”

There were a variety of ways for the participants to spend the 24-hour time frame: running, walking, socializing and volunteering. Beyond the service aspect and raising money for a good cause, the second-year head coach saw additional benefits to participating that would extend to the football field in the fall.

“These groups of players were running and jogging, sometimes eating at the food station together,” Curtin said. “They were running and they were sweating, they were complaining, but they were doing it together. In all cases that I saw, it was positive. These groups were bonding together. Anytime they embrace the “suck” collectively and bond together, the cohesiveness in that organization just got tighter….and that’s honestly one of the reasons I do it. That will resonate on the field.”

While the 2024 season schedule has not been officially announced, the Knights are currently in the middle of their spring-ball season, working on developing their skills and taking advantage of the recent uptick in team cohesiveness. It will conclude on April 13 during the St. Andrews alumni weekend.

Without reservation, Curtin says his athletes will be out there next year running, bonding, socializing and volunteering to assist causes that dually benefit the community and athletes.

“Aside from serving others and being a good human, I wanted to build a team … and this creates a form of camaraderie that brought us closer as a team,” Curtin said. “If that’s a goal, then you need to do something like this.”