Cristina Leanos has run track for several years, but with the season cancelled due to COVID-19, she won’t be able to break any records in her sophomore year. Her goal for this year was to run a mile in under 5:30.

Leanos admits that she isn’t the fastest runner, but she is still determined to give it her all. She really enjoys that, although it is a team sport, the players are not all out on the track at the same time.

Her biggest inspiration to participate in track is the outdoorsy activities they do, but she originally got into it when her middle school coach recruited her.

Although she only has a year of experience on the high school level, Leanos said that she would like to see more coaches supporting it, especially for the more specialized areas.

For those new to track, she said, “Don’t rush anything. Things are going to happen slowly.” She felt that it seems boring in the beginning for a lot of new people, and encourages new athletes to consider the people they are with to really make the most of the experience.