There is one moment rising cross-country runner Mackye Morrison returns to whenever doubt begins to creep in.
He can’t remember the face. It disappeared into the blur of spectators as he raced past.
But he’ll never forget the voice.
“You chose to be here!”
The words, shouted by a young girl cheering on a gruelling cross-country meet from the sidelines, cut through every excuse forming in his mind.
He also remembers the unforgiving terrain, the divots beneath his spikes and the excuses creeping into his mind.
“I was hurting, and when I heard that I was like, ‘I signed up for this. This is my pain.”
For Morrison, who was this week selected in the Queensland cross-country team for the first time, the words capture the reality of distance running – embracing the discomfort and choosing to keep moving forward.
Cross country running is relatively new for the former Victorian.
The 19-year-old built his reputation as a middle-distance runner, using his trademark speed to carry him through the closing stages of races.
Encouraged to step up to the 3000 meters at the 2025 APS Championships, Morrison entered a field stacked with some of Victoria’s best junior distance runners.
“It was a really unusual race. It almost felt like three races happening at once,” he says.
Canberra raised Bart Leeton and Victorian junior representative Oscar Gray set a blistering pace from the gun, while Morrison found himself shoulder-to-shoulder with Wesley College’s Max Luke as the pair carved out a race of their own clear of the pack.
When Luke surged, Morrison followed.
“I couldn’t afford to make a slow decision. If he got a gap, it could have been gone.”
When the bell rang for the final lap, Morrison expected the pain that usually comes from pushing yourself to the hilt. But what happened was a pleasant surprise.
“[When the bell went] I thought, ‘easy, that’s nothing for me’. I wasn’t feeling the fatigue I expected. I had more to give,” he says.
“I crossed the line in 9:04 in fourth with this feeling of, 'wow, this might be something I need to explore'.”
A year after that breakthrough, Morrison will discover how far that potential can take him when he lines up over 8 kilometres next month at the Australian Athletics Cross Country Championships in Ballarat.
More than 2000 athletes will descend upon Ballarat, but Morrison’s sights won't be set on the $25,000 prize pool. For him, it’s all about wearing
the representative jersey he has chased for years.
After narrowly missing Victorian state teams in the past, the Bachelor of Business student will now pull on Queensland colours, a milestone made possible after relocating north from Melbourne.
“I’ve come close a few times, so I definitely don’t take it for granted. To move up here, settle in at Bond, then get the chance to pull it on and represent Queensland so soon is something I’m really thankful for.”
The move has also transformed Morrison’s preparation. Increasing his weekly training load from 60 to 90 kilometres has only strengthened his belief that he can become a genuine force over the longer distances.
“If I attempted a PB today, I’d do it,” he says. “I’ve got more kilometres under my belt this year, I’m confident that I’m going to have good results.”
Morrison brings the speed of an 800-metre specialist, having clocked a 1:58.36 last year, a weapon he believes separates him from traditional long-distance runners.
And returning to Ballarat brings an advantage Morrison knows well. The weather.
“A lot of guys can be a bit excited because they’re not used to the cold. The first few kilometres feel easy, they start to push more, but it catches up with them,” he says.
The weather may offer an edge, and his speed might keep him in contention, but Morrison believes the race will come down to the conversation he has with himself when fatigue inevitably arrives.
“When my mind wants to stop, I have to intercept it,” he says.
“I tell myself, ‘This is what I do. Everyday. I love this.’
“Then I just let my legs stride out.”