Leo and Lex Young weren’t the only Young family members competing at the USATF Cross Country Championships this weekend.
Their mother, Lynne Young, placed 33rd in the Masters Women 6k, good for 7th in the Women’s 50-54 division.
The 54-year-old Young ran 28:09 for the distance, continuing the family’s legacy of dominance on the cross country course.
Running fans were quick to make jokes about the future of Lynne’s running career on LetsRun message boards.
“Not announced yet, but she’s headed to NC State,” wrote one user.
Another user playfully pointed out that her 33rd-place finish was higher than her son Lex placed at NXN. “Go Lynne!” they wrote.
Lynne raced in the championship just hours before Leo won the Under-20 Men’s 8k, punching his ticket to the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia on February 18, where he will run in the junior race for a six-person team USA. Lex placed 12th in 24:46, narrowly missing a spot at worlds.
Leo is the second Young brother to win a national cross country championship, following up on his brother Nico’s 2019 NXN individual win. Leo is now the fourth runner from Newbury Park High School to win a cross country national championship (along with Colin and Aaron Sahlman).
“A lot of it came down to the very end,” Leo said.
Leo narrowly missed out on an NXN victory in December, losing the lead with less than 400m to go to his teammate, Aaron Sahlman, after leading the race for several kilometers.
“I was able to take that and really learn from it.,” Leo said. “This time, I played my cards right. I was able to make a move and get myself ahead.”
