The time was 2:35 AM. I had finally finished my homework and was ready to collapse into bed when my phone suddenly lit up. I was confused as to who else would willingly be up at this hour and I opened up the snapchat I had received from Kristen. It was a picture of her looking fully ready to get to work with the caption “Perfect time to study for a physics test!” It was then that I learned of Kristen’s unconventional schedule. Kristen is a paragon of ambition and is an exemplary student. On top of all of that, she is a track star. Kristen is taking all the AP and Honors courses available while still maintaining a social life and her sanity which is quite a feat in itself. Kristen’s average day consists of going to school, going to track directly after school until about 5:30, sometimes longer, go home, eat, go to bed around 8:00 PM, and wake up at about 1 AM to bust out her homework. When asked why she does this, Kristen responded by saying, “I wake up at 1 in the morning to do homework because I work better on my own, and I feel like I am free of distraction. That’s when I produce my best work.” Kristen feels exhausted after track so she is ready to fall into bed by the time she gets home. While this may seem like a vicious cycle to some, this is Kristen’s way of working and it is effective considering her 4.0 GPA.

Here is Kristen running in the 4 by 1 at our most recent home meet. She ran the third leg.

So why does Kristen love track? She said, “I love track because it’s a fun competitive outlet while also being physically active and social with peers I don’t usually see throughout the day. It’s a way for me to work on improving myself and doing that builds character. I love a challenge and I know that everyday I will have to push myself and that’s really rewarding.” Kristen’s love of track blossomed during her freshman year. At first, she joined because her brothers did it so she figured she would give it a shot. Kristen then recalled, “At practice I would do the drills and I was fairly good at sprinting and the coach noticed me. There was a spot on the varsity race, I think it was the 100 meter race, and it was my first meet. I was really new and didn’t think about form or anything, I just ran. And I actually got 1st place! I felt overcome with a sense of pride.” Kristen realized she had potential, and the rest is history.

Kristen hopes to continue running throughout college as well. When asked about advice for aspiring runners, Kristen responded, “You have to be passionate and willing to put full effort into it. What I do is I think about how good it will feel after I perform well and I use that to get me through whatever pain or stress that I am in.” Kristen’s ambition and passion is something to be admired and even though track is challenging, her love for it never runs out.