“Our sport is used as punishment for other teams,” is a phrase commonly used by track and field athletes when trying to prove, like all athletes do at some point, that their sport is the most physically demanding task on the planet.  Yet this claim is true, for the majority of athletes, aside from runners, dread doing ladders as punishment for a missed goal, turnover, or strikeout.  Runners frequently get asked, “How could you just go to practice and run? Isn’t that horrible?”  Well, some people don’t avoid running at all costs, but instead go out of their way to get that extra mile in, and although it’s rare to see this eagerness in high school students, those adolescent runners are out there.  And when they set their mind to improving their time, they will not let anyone get in their way.

Patrick Saint Ange of the Ossining Varsity Track and Field team possesses a determination unlike most runners.  Saint Ange, who has been running on varsity since freshman year, has always dreamed of competing with the most elite high schoolers in the United States. Becoming one of the best runners in the country is not an easy feat, but Saint Ange was willing to put in the effort in order to fulfill his aspirations of running at Nationals.  He runs before school (in the dark, at 6:00 in the morning), and after drama club (in the dark, at 7:00 in the evening).  Yes, drama club–he is not only an incredibly fast runner, but a talented singer as well.  Even while juggling the male lead in the musical and training, Saint Ange still managed to qualify for New Balance Nationals for the two-mile this March.  Interestly enough, the two-mile has not always been Saint Ange’s go-to event; he had previously been focusing on the mile. Nonetheless, the two-mile proved to be the race for him, and no matter what distance he ran, Saint Ange was determined to make it to Nationals.  “If you asked me three years ago when I first started running varsity if I’d make it to Nationals, I would have said without a doubt,” Saint Ange stated, “I think the most important thing about accomplishing anything is first believing that it’s possible and then doing everything in your power to make it possible.”  

And possible it was, for Saint Ange is now one of the fastest high schoolers in the country.