Fork Union Military Academy will launch a postgraduate cross-country program in fall 2027, offering college-bound distance runners a semester of advanced training, collegiate-level competition, and academic preparation before enrolling in college in January. The program joins the Academy's established postgraduate programs in football, basketball, and lacrosse. 

"Distance running rewards the same habits our cadets practice every day: discipline, resilience, and the willingness to do hard work when no one is watching," said Winston Brown, Fork Union's Director of Athletics. "This program will help young men arrive at college prepared for the demands of both collegiate competition and the classroom." 

Postgraduate runners will attend Fork Union from August through November, completing the Academy's first two academic terms. Under Fork Union's distinctive One Subject Plan, students study one subject at a time for approximately seven weeks. Dual enrollment courses offered in partnership with Piedmont Virginia Community College also provide opportunities to earn college credit. 

Members of the postgraduate cross-country team will compete in college meets, club competitions, and road races, gaining experience against collegiate fields and exposure to college coaches. 

"One of the biggest challenges high school distance runners must overcome is making the jump from the 5K high school distance to the grueling 8K and 10K races college men run," said Bob Burger, who has been named to lead the program as head coach. "This postgraduate program gives runners an invaluable opportunity to prove they can handle that transition physically and tactically against collegiate competition." 

Fork Union's new program amplifies a distance-running tradition dating back to the mid-1980s when Kenyan brothers Kip and Charles Cheruiyot attended Fork Union Military Academy. Both brothers competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, then enrolled at Fork Union and rewrote the school's record book. At least six Fork Union alumni have competed in the Olympic Games, five of them in track and field. 

Fork Union is now accepting inquiries from postgraduate distance runners interested in the fall 2027 season. For more information, visit forkunion.com/postgraduate-athletics.