School only ended a week ago and the sun just barely peeks through the clouds when sophomore Becca Schnelle rolls out of bed. The clock only reads 5:30 a.m. and she barely slept at all last night thanks to her anticipation, but Schnelle is wide-awake and ready to start her day. She brushes her teeth and dabs on a little makeup, but she doesn’t have to change because she slept in her running clothes. She laces up her blue and yellow Asics and rushes out the door to meet up with the rest off her cross country team.

Schnelle has been running competitively since 7th grade and she plans to continue the sport for rest of her life. She still remembers watching a slideshow of distance runners with admiration when a guest speaker visited her middle school. It was then she decided she wanted to be a runner.

“I wanted to do it because it looked hard,” Schnelle said. “I know that sounds weird, but I wanted to do something challenging. I like to challenge myself.”

Although she ran track in middle school, Schnelle had no long-distance experience until joining cross country her freshman year of high school. By the end of the season, she had earned the most-improved runner award.

“She’s a really, really hard worker,” cross country coach Richard Wilson said. “She has a strong desire to be better.”

Schnelle hopes to eventually make it to the Olympics, and she plans on working hard to get there. She relies on her coaches for motivation and inspiration.

“Her desire to be better and to be the best—that’s hard to come across,” distance coach Aaron Ballew said. “She’s always asking me ‘what can I do, Coach, to get better?’ She’s asked me that a hundred thousand times.”

Schnelle’s drive not only helps her, but it also motivates her teammates. Sophomore Jennifer Kealey ran four seasons of track and cross country with Schnelle. She believes Schnelle is an inspiration to the team.

“Becca always works hard throughout the whole workout, especially at the end,” Kealey said. “She’ll make sure she gives it her all, and that pushes you to give it your all also.”

Her coaches and teammates agree—Schnelle’s sheer determination helps her to fight past any obstacle.

“I’m trying to learn from the mistakes I’ve made and I’m trying not to make them again,” Schnelle said. “You just can’t give up. You’ve got to keep going and eventually the hard work will pay off.”