When Beth Krapac walked into Warren Central’s Viking Stadium for cross country tryouts back in May, she was greeted by nearly 50 eager faces.

The problem was, not very many of them could run.

“Probably three of them could run a mile without hurting. They all managed to gut through a mile in the tryout. One vomited,” Krapac recalled, cringing. “That’s not my goal. My goal is to get them to run a mile and be smiling at the end.”

That’s exactly what they’ve been doing. The group that could hardly run a mile during tryouts just missed being state champions. The Warren Central Junior High girls team finished second at the Mid-South Middle School Cross Country Championships— the state meet for middle schools — and Hannah Huntley was second in the individual standings.

As excited as they were about the team’s success, their individual progress had them smiling even more. Nearly all of the 23 members of the boys and girls junior high teams dropped their times for a 3-kilometer run over a five-month span, some by as much as three minutes. Huntley’s best time was 13 minutes, 52 seconds. Trevor Rouse clocked in at 13:33.

The common threads in their transformation are friendship and hard work. The team buses from Warren Central Junior High to Warren Central High School for practice each day. Once they arrive, the smiles and laughter echo throughout Viking Stadium.

“It’s been fun running races and stuff. We always laugh and encourage each other,” seventh-grader Macy Broome said. “A lot of us were friends before we started. But we got a lot closer because of cross country.”

Seventh-grader Cassidy Lampkin said the team has become closer than friends.

“We’ve grown a lot together, like a family, since cross country season,” Lampkin said. “I like seeing people and seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they place and get a reward for it.”

The closeness of the team was forged through a summer of running together and enduring the tough times. Krapac’s first drills had them running for 30 seconds, walking for two minutes, and then repeating the cycle.

All of them have horror stories of the beginning that quickly morph into tales of triumph.

“At first I couldn’t run for two minutes. Now I can run three miles,” seventh-grader Anna Bull said. “After I was done the first time I needed water and food. But I was glad I finished.”

Another reason the team has succeeded has been Krapac, who has been its coach for three years. When she started working with the team in 2012, there were 15 runners on the roster. That grew to 25 in 2013, and to 48 this year.

Krapac’s charges said her enthusiasm for running — Krapac has twice competed in the Boston Marathon and runs as much as 65 miles per week — and unusual workouts have made cross country fun. In addition to turning laps, the WC runners go through football-style agility drills, and run stadium steps to simulate hills.

There’s also intrasquad relay races and practice meets, complete with homemade trophies for the winners. All of it is intended to make running — and getting in shape — enjoyable.

“I worried about whether I would be a good influence on them for the rest of their life. I think running is the greatest sport in the world, and I want to share that with them,” Krapac said. “I don’t focus on miles as much as attitude. I want them to enjoy it.”