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ZEBULON - Connor Lister has been running since he was a child. Today as a 10th grader at Pike County High School, he runs with the Pike County High School Cross Country Team and hopes to make his dreams of running beyond high school into a reality.

When Connor was young, his Mom, Jess, pushed him in a jogging stroller until he was old enough to run with her or stay home. He began running with her when he was 5 1/2 years old. At 7 ½ years old, he was running with his Mom in races like marathons and a 50K… yes, that is 31 miles!

Connor said that he stopped running at one point, but he got back into cross country in the 7th grade. He said that he wasn’t that good when he started, but he kept training and liked it.

Today, Connor is still running as a member of the Pike County High School Cross Country Team. He attended his 3rd track meet of the school year, he was only 16 seconds off of the 5K school record.

Then he won the 5K in 16 minutes and 41 seconds and won overall. During the 4th track meet of the season, he won 3rd place with a new personal record of 16 minutes and 38 seconds!

This past Saturday, October 3, 2026, Connor broke the current school record for 5K and made his own school record with a run of 16 minutes and 8 seconds!

What does a regular week look like for Connor? Some days he will do a long run of 12 to 15 miles, and some days he will do intervals or faster runs in order to be prepared to race on Saturdays.

Sundays are an off day for him so he can rest, and he trains all year round.

Coaches Talk Training

Pike County Times asked several people who have trained with Connor for their thoughts on his cross country career and his work on the cross country course.

Denise Lawrence is the Middle School Cross Country Coach and has been running with Connor since he was small. She said that when Connor came to Pike County Middle School in 6th grade, she and his Mom, Jess, begged him to run cross country. Lawrence said that he was hesitant at that time and kept telling them no.

But then 7th grade rolled around. He decided to join cross country, and no one’s been able to stop him since! “He is a force to be reckoned with,” she said.

Connor has always been such a joyful guy,” she said. Lawrence also said that he encourages other runners and genuinely loves to run. “He is not just a natural runner though,” Lawrence said. “His grit, determination, and grind are his best weapons. He puts in the work year round, he’s not a part time Pirate.”

Amy Boynton is the High School Girls Cross Country Coach. She said that Connor has dominated every meet that they’ve gone to. Boynton said that he puts so much time, and he runs all of the time. And most of the time -- even after a meet -- he’ll run afterward.

She said that he is determined, he has goals, and he is so competitive. She said that athletes like Connor have a completely different mindset. That includes in the classroom and interacting with his peers because he has a goal and know that it’s not just running that will him where he wants to be. “His is very driven, focused, and he inspires other students to do better,” Boynton said.

Coach Cody Helms is the High School Boys Cross Country Coach and interviewed with Pike County Times prior to this weekend's meet. He described Connor much the same way. “Connor is a very driven young man. He's first to practice, and he's the last one to leave.”

He said that Connor usually runs an extra two or three miles after practice, and that he always follows instructions to a “T.” Helms said that Connor is very mature for a 10th grader. Helms also went on to say that Connor has won three of the first three meets and shows up to the meet expecting to win.

“His hope is to run one day professionally. He's respectable and has great sportsmanship,” Helms said. “Between his attitude and his athleticism, Connor is one of Pike County's best student athletes.”

Closing

Connor has run in 800 meter, 1 mile, 5K, and 10K races as well as the Peachtree Road Race, half marathons, and 50K’s. He has run in races as far away as Tennessee and will be going to North Carolina to a race after Thanksgiving.

Connor broke the school record for 1 mile at a state track meet in Athens in May. He won 1st place in the first 3 track meets this year, and the Pike County Cross Country Team won 1st place at the second track meet of this year.

Connor now holds the Pike County School record in the 1 mile with 4 minutes and 30 seconds, the 800 meter in 2 minutes and 7 seconds, and 5K with 16 minutes and 8 seconds.

What about goals? When Connor was interviewed for this article, he said that he wanted to break the school record for the 5K which was 16 minutes and 25 seconds at that time, but he said that he would have to smash the record a lot for it to stay because there are some middle school runners coming up behind him that are pretty good.

15 minutes and 45 seconds is his 5K goal for the end of the year, he wants to get his time down to 4 minutes and 10 seconds for the 1 mile, and down to 1 minute and 57 seconds for the 800 meter. Connor wants to get his time down so he can be invited to run in elite high school races.

Connor enjoys running with his team mates at Pike County High School and said that he does a lot better with competition. His favorite quote is, “Iron sharpens iron.” He is an all A student, and Honors Chemistry is his favorite class.

What does he want to do after school? He also wants to go to college and run or go pro right out of high school. He even mentioned the Olympics as a possibility. With his drive and determination in training, who knows where this Pike County High School student will go!

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