When people think of running, most automatically think of the fastest races such as the 100m dash or 1600m relay. However, there is more to track than lightning fast sprints; there is long distance. Distance running includes the mile and the two mile run. When you see a large group of people waiting on the starting line anxious to feel their insides burn and their lungs expand to the brink of combustion, you wonder who in their right mind would honestly do this to him or herself.
Two of our fastest varsity track runners are David Zavala and Jaron Smith; they are competing in the mile and two mile run. Zavala and Smith have to run four to eight laps around a track every week, and while they are pushed to exhaustion, the two are still going strong.
This kind of dedication has to stem from a love of track.

“I run because I genuinely enjoy it and it gives me something to do instead of just being at home,” Smith said.

Though these guys go the extra mile (literally) every week in order to prepare, when you’re on the starting line everything changes. You don’t have time to warm-up or think about anything; all you hear is your breathing and the rush of blood to your ears. You feel your heart pound, your face flush, and the adrenaline pumping through your body as you impatiently wait for the announcer to shoot the gun. Countless practices in and outside of school are the only thing that can help the athletes on the starting line.

“I run every day, on weekdays I run 8 miles and on weekends I run 12 miles to prepare,” Zavala said.

Considering the amount of pain you have to push through and endure everyday you’d think they don’t just run for the heck of it. Some of the runners hope to take their dreams farther than high school and they work to accomplish their goals in this field of complete mental strength.

“To run professionally is my main goal. I want to run in college and hopefully work hard enough to go to the Olympics,” Zavala said.

These boys are working and running their hardest to be the best distance runners possible by improving their times every week.