Sundays are the perfect time to relax, sip a cup of coffee and enjoy a slow morning. But that’s not how the Benedict family rolls.
Each Sunday, Lyndsi Parks slips on her running shoes and prepares for a several-mile run around the neighborhood. Running beside her are her twins, Austin and Kyla Benedict, both freshmen at New Albany High School. Although they look nothing alike, one thing is unmistakably the same – they can both run.
Competitors by nature
Lyndsi Parks and Randy Benedict
The twins won the genetic lottery. Parks excelled at tennis and cross country, and Randy Benedict, their dad, also ran in college, gaining five All-American honors. Given the couple’s athletic background, it’s no surprise their kids naturally gravitated to sports. However, from the moment they began playing sports, Parks and Randy recognized something different in their children.
“At a very very young age, you would sit in the observation deck and watch them in gymnastics class, and you were like, ‘Yeah, there's something there,’” Randy says.
Even as toddlers, the twins had a competitive spirit.
Lyndsi Parks and Randy Benedict
“Everything from eating to potty training, to which one was going to walk first,” Randy says. “Their ability to push themselves and play off of each other, it's been there literally since day one.”
The twins love healthy competition, but they are also each other’s biggest cheerleaders.
“We know each other like the back of our hands,” Austin says. “She always knows what to say, whether it's like ‘I know it hurts, but keep pushing,’ or ‘You're looking great.’”
Unbreakable bond
They’re not just teammates, they’re best friends. Before they were on the cross country course, they were in their cribs, babbling to each other until they fell asleep.
“To this day, they share a wall, and a lot of times, I’ll go in and Austin is sitting on Kyla's bed and they're talking,” Parks says. “They're definitely each other's comfort.”
Lyndsi Parks and Randy Benedict
The two have an unmistakable bond both on and off the track. Kyla says she can hum a song in her head and look over to hear Austin singing it. They couldn’t even break school records alone; their record times were both written in the New Albany history books.
The twins also share a relentless competitive energy, no matter who is the one racing.
“It gives me goosebumps sometimes, I’m not going to lie,” Austin says. “I'm more nervous for her race than I am my race…But if she crosses the finish line and she does amazing, it gives me goosebumps.”
As they’ve grown, their personalities differentiate. Kyla is a social butterfly, while Austin maintains a strict schedule, with his bedtime no later than 9:30 p.m.
“They're good for each other in that way, because sometimes him being so regimented helps her,” Parks says. “But then her just sometimes being a little bit more laid back about training and stuff is like, ‘Oh, it's really not that big of a deal.’”
Together through it all
The Benedicts are empowered by the support of their community and their teammates.
“When they're proud of me, it makes me feel on top of the world,” Kyla says.
Lyndsi Parks and Randy Benedict
Despite their unwavering commitment to running, the Benedict twins maintain straight-A’s and are involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and church. And they never miss their younger sister’s soccer matches.
Randy encourages Kyla and Austin to not let their sport become their identity, which can be counterproductive to their goals.
“If you allow it to become its own beast, things like mental burnout and fatigue and resentment and frustration, those actually accelerate,” Randy says.
Both twins hope to run through college, but they worry about moving to different colleges. But even from miles away, the Benedict bond will stay strong.
“We’re best friends,” Austin says. “We joke around with each other, but at the end of the day, we'll always have each other's backs. No matter what happens, we'll always be there for one another.”
Maggie Fipps is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
