Lulu Loegering not stopping until her goal is accomplished

Nov. 5—LAMOURE, N.D. — When it comes to her cross-country career, Lulu Loegering has one goal.

“My goal is to win the XC (cross-country) state championship,” Loegering said.

She was close to accomplishing that goal earlier this year.

Loegering, a junior out of LaMoure/Litchville-Marion’s cross-country program, placed third at the 2026 NDHSAA Class B State Cross-Country Championships on Oct. 23. She finished the race with a time of 19 minutes, 12 seconds.

The junior has been running cross-country since seventh grade.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do for sports, so I just went out for XC and never wanted to quit,” Loegering said. “My first memory was my first race. I was finishing the 3K, and my dad was running next to me, cheering me on. He didn’t realize that I could have gotten disqualified because he was running alongside me. Thankfully someone told him in time.”

In her first year, Loegering’s best time was 21:07. Her first, first-place finish came her freshman year at the Ellendale Invitational. She crossed the line of the 5,000-meter race at 21:22.

“I was kind of shocked to realize that I could just start out front and stay there,” Loegering said. “I ran a lot faster than I thought I could, and still felt like I had more to give at the end.

“I’ve improved physically in that I am faster and better at staying consistent, plus I have a solid aerobic base that I didn’t have the first few years,” she said. “But I think I have improved mentally more than anything. I used to only run offseason when I felt like it, which wasn’t very often. I also used to make excuses for myself during races, mostly just settling for an average place or time, when I should really be pushing for a PR (personal record). Now I am much more serious about running and am really trying to improve each day.”

Loegering has competed in the Class B Cross-Country Championships every year since seventh grade.

“My first three years I was sort of stuck in the middle of the pack,” Loegering said. “I started training consistently after a bad finish at ninth grade state, with the help of Karly Just, a runner for VCSU. As a sophomore, I placed fifth. This year I placed third. I have enjoyed the past two years the most because I have been improving and working hard for it.”

Prior to practices starting this year, Loegering said she was feeling really confident with her abilities. The junior’s offseason training looked like 40 miles a week with 10 mile long runs. She was also doing speed work one day a week. The season began for the Loboes in August.

“My coach had a good training plan, and we followed it for nearly the whole season,” Loegering said. “It was fun being able to run with my friends again.”

Loegering and her teammates ran their first race on Aug. 22 at Jamestown’s annual Orriginals Invitational. The junior placed 10th overall with a time of 19:54.

“I didn’t race very well at the first meet,” Loegering said. “I just wasn’t mentally ready to race. By the end of the season, my time had improved by over a minute, and I was beating girls I lost to at the beginning of the season.”

With the exception of the season opening meet, Loegering did not place lower than third place at any of the other 11 races she competed in. Her personal best time of 18:33 was run on Sept. 15 at the Central Cass Cross-Country Invitational.

Loegering finished the regular season with seven first-place finishes. At the North Dakota Class B East Cross-Country Championships she placed third with a time of 19:05.

Then, it was back to Parkhurst for one last race.

“I feel like everybody always says the big hills are the hardest part of the state course — I tend to think the long, straight stretches are the hardest, and that worrying about the hill before it happens is not a good thing to do,” Loegering said. “It’s there, and you can’t stop it, but you can stay in the moment and worry about it when you get there.”

The junior said she was both nervous and excited before taking to the state course.

“I was pretty confident in my ability to keep up with the top girls, but I knew I needed to start out in the front if I wanted to do well,” Loegering said. “I knew I would not be bothered by the other girls if I could stick with (Claire Grinde). I knew they wouldn’t even try to beat her. She pulled away after the first mile though, and I was stuck with two other girls. We went back and forth until the last 800 meters. I was behind both of them at that time. One pulled ahead, and I passed the other. … My goal was second place, and that didn’t happen but my goal was also to run better than I did last year, which I definitely did, and then some.

“I was happy with the race, but kind of felt like I ran out of time; it seemed so short compared to other races,” she said. “But otherwise I was so happy to have improved and raced as hard as I could.”

After high school, Loegering said she is hoping to run at a Division 1 school that is competitive to win a national championship. Outside of the running world, her plans include becoming a veterinarian.

But for now, it’s all about getting that state championship.

“I am working toward that goal right now and I will not stop until I am at the top of the podium,” Loegering said.