Twenty-nine runners and three coaches rounded up more than 30 bags of trash -- plus one bucket for a leaky load. The Knox College men's and women's cross country teams held their annual trash run through several miles of Galesburg streets during the first week of fall 2015 preseason practice.

"Preseason is always very focused on ourselves, team-building and training for the season. It's nice to step outside of that and do something bigger, for more people than just our team," said Josh Tvrdy.

"It builds the team as well, so it's a win-win," said Tvrdy, a junior from Pusch Ridge Christian Academy in Tucson, Arizona. Also a Kemper Scholar, Tvrdy grabbed a spot on Knox's top 10 list in the 3,000 meter event during last year's indoor track season.

The idea of collecting trash on one of the preseason runs was first proposed by head coach Alex Moreno, and that commitment to community is now adopted by the team as well -- as a volunteer service activity and an athletic challenge.

"It's awkward, running with just one arm swinging and the other holding a bag of trash. It's not something we do every day," said Aly Eastman, a junior from Wethersfield High School in Kewanee, Illinois, who owns a Top 25 time in cross country and also has Academic All Conference honors in basketball.

"It's definitely a lot more work, but it's a great way for us to get involved in the community, to do something good, and get recognized for it."

Top of page: Cross country runners collecting trash in Galesburg; below Aly Eastman and teammates on North Prairie Street, head coach Alex Moreno distributes bags prior to the trash pick-up, runners and coaches with bags of trash collected by the team.

• More photos from the 2015 cross country season and this year's trash pick-up run.