Jade Cox, a three-year cross country runner, has a little sister, Samanda, who always chases after her.

Jade and Samanda are top-7 runners for Darlington.

“I like running with my sister,” said Samanda, “she pushes me to get better every time.”

Jade always finishes before Samanda, so there is a healthy competition between the two sisters.

“Over my dead body will she beat me,” said older sister Jade in a joking way. Having Samanda at her heels is good incentive to push herself.

“I try to coach them the same as the other runners, but it will always be different just because they’re my children,” coach and dad to Jade and Samanda, John Cox said.

“My dad always tells me the right thing, it’s a way of motivation for me rather than cheering me on,”  Samanda said.

Running is a family sport for the Cox family. The girlfriend of Samanda and Jade’s brother Alex is a runner in college, which allows her to connect with the girls. She helps push them with the words every female runner wants to hear.

The Cox sisters and their dad used to train together along with their brother. They all would push each other to try harder and to refrain from giving up when things started to get hard.

Their brother sends them good luck messages before almost every race since he can’t be here to watch them run it’s his own way of supporting them.

This family knows how to show love out on the trails and off. Although competitive, these family members would never do anything to harm one another.

“I love being out there and seeing them grow not only as women but also as runners,” said father John Cox.

Samanda and Jade consistently support one another and participate in the same school sports.  Not only do they run together, but they also play lacrosse together in the spring.