Victoria Azar is a sophomore at La Salle who is in the middle of her second year of cross country and is already one of the top runners on the team. According to La Salle’s athletic.net leaderboard for the girls 5,000 meters, she is in 12th place for the best overall time with 20:50.5. She also participates in track and field and said that balancing homework and sports is difficult, but as long as she doesn’t put off her homework, then she can handle it.

Why did you decide to do cross country?

• “At first, I decided to join cross country in order to stay in shape for track, and my parents thought it was a good idea and then I ended up really liking cross country, so I stuck with it.”

What is your favorite thing about cross country?

• “My favorite thing is probably the people; the people are amazing. It [is] just the best [that] people seem to choose such a sport [that] is actually really hard and there are a lot of misconceptions about it, but it’s a really fun sport and the feeling you get after finishing the cross country races [is great].”

What do you like most about the cross country team?

• “I love how supportive everyone is because everyone is going through the same pain. Especially during the races, everyone is cheering each other on, and it’s so invigorating and it’s amazing.”

What are your goals for this season?

• “It is actually a lot harder than my freshman season because I am coming back from a foot fracture. I have been having to push myself during the workouts a lot harder than I [usually] would. My PR last year was just under twenty-one minutes, so I’m probably shooting to break twenty [minutes].”

What is your favorite thing about the meets?

• “[My favorite thing is the] five minutes after you finish the race and you are just feeling really good. In [those] five minutes, when you finish the race you’re exhausted, and you might be rolling on the ground, but after that you get endorphins [flowing]. People are congratulating you and you get to congratulate the people coming in after you, as well as the people who came in before you; it’s just so fun.”

What is your least favorite thing about the meets?

• “You just feel really jittery and just scared [when warming up] because you don’t know what’s going to happen but those fears usually melt away either during the race or after it.”

Do you have a favorite meet to go to?  

• “My favorite meet is probably the Portland Meadows meet because it’s at [a] horse race track for the first half mile. They have Voodoo Doughnuts there and a lot of cool vendors, and the course is pretty straightforward; you don’t get surprised by any scary hills.”

Will you continue to do cross country after high school ?

• “I’m not sure about that; I’m hoping to do track, but I have only done one track season in high school.”

Would you suggest this sport to other students?

• “I would definitely suggest it to other students [because] it’s just so fun; everybody is so supportive. It’s a great way to get into shape [by] running cross country every day after school, and it feels good [and] the coaches are great.”