Wednesday Oct. 28th, the 7A West conference cross country meet took place in Rogers, and Junior Elise Reina came in first place overall with a time of 19:19. “My plan was to stay with the top pack, whoever it may have been. And then with the last mile-800 meters to go, take over and break the pack. I’m always strongest at the end of my races, it’s more of my forte finishing,” said Reina.
Saturday, Oct. 4th, the annual Chili pepper race took place for the 26th time in Fayetteville. The race held approximately 5,000 runners, including over 80 college teams, 120 high school teams, and over 5,000 spectators. Reina, placed 12th overall in the high school girls invitational race, and placed as the 1st Arkansas female to come across the finishing line.
“This was my first time to run since I started training 2 weeks ago, and surprisingly a great run for me. I was actually very excited to see where I stood among other girls in the state. I was super focused, and didn’t break my focus a single time during that whole race,” said Reina.
However, since it was Reina’s first race for the season, attention was drawn to the fact that she was not apart of this years cross country team. “This was my first year to not be training with the Cross Country girls. At the beginning of this Junior year, my main focus was to get committed for Soccer,” said Reina.
An athlete of assorted talents, Reina has put Soccer first, and verbally committed to the KU Jayhawks. “All my focus was on Soccer and I barely even ran at all. I worked very hard all summer in soccer. I went to two big soccer camps this year hoping to get seen by Coaches. I’m very excited to be finally committed to KU,” said the KU committee.
Since soccer has been her main priority, Reinas running career has been questioned, but she has her future all planned out. “I’ve decided to keep running through high school. I realized how much it helped me in my Soccer games. Once I stopped running as much I found myself more tired in games and not as in shape,” said Reina.
Although the season has come to a close, state takes place in Hot Springs on November 8th, so Reina isn’t done just yet. “My goal is to take the state championship again this year,” she said.
However, the sixteen year old isn’t the only one in her household that’s fond of running, Reina comes from an entire family of runners. Her dad, a former Olympian, and sister a running trailblazer currently at the U of A, leave no room for mistakes.
“For my whole life I’ve known I’m in a family where running is our strong suit. And everyone knows us for it, but it does not put any pressure on me to keep running. My family knows I’m more passionate for Soccer than running. And out of everyone, they’ve been supporting me the most when it came to soccer and finding the right college for me,” said Reina.
Though she has chosen soccer, the top female runner in the state still shared some words of wisdom for those interested in pursuing running. “My advice for aspiring runners would be that it can positively impact your lifestyle. You don’t necessarily have to be good at it to enjoy it. Running is something you can continue to do as you age,” said Reina.