When asked what she loves about running, the first thing Grace Stanford, a freshman at Briar Woods, thinks of is the sense of escape and the community.
“Running provides a sense of freedom from regular school activities,” she explains, “The team and the environment is lively.”
Stanford further describes the team’s atmosphere as supportive, saying “If you talk to the majority of the team, they will love and support you.”
September 2023, during the indoor track season, was the first time Stanford had ever done track, and something definitely clicked. Her ability to sprint was incredible, which was showcased in her all time favorite meet, Riverside Quad meet. This was the last meet for the season, and Stanford excelled.
“I got first or second overall in all of my events, and I enjoyed them a lot,” she comments, and her achievements certainly don’t end here.
On March 8th, Stanford went to the track nationals in Boston. Describing the experience as staggering, Stanford reminisced how the only person she knew there was her dad, who had to leave her on her own when she entered the building.
“Once I walked in, they asked for my name and gave me a folder with all my information,” says Stanford.
She was then directed to the warm-up room, which she remembers as so crowded that she could hardly move around.
Nonetheless, Stanford was able to trust her own wise advice: “Trust your body to remember what to do.” Despite the cramped, nervous room, Stanford remembered her warm up routine and was able to complete it until they called her for her race. When she walked out, she was met by overstimulation.
“There were so many cameras. It was intimidating, yet very interesting because I wasn’t used to it.” explains Stanford. Regardless, Stanford was able to run her race well. In fact, she did so well that she scored among the top 30 freshman girls in the nation for the 60 meter race. To top it off, she also received an indoor nationals bag.
If someone wants to join track, Stanford has some advice: “Anyone can run track, you just need to put in the work and trust your body to remember what to do.”
