Mason Kindel '21 Recruiting Profile

Distance running is a sport that I believe is more about mental toughness than physical prowess. Of course, to be good one has to put in thousands of miles and pour out gallons of sweat, but if one is to be great they must have the mental fortitude that will push their body past their pain and break the limitations they thought they had. The human body can take nearly any strain, it is the mind that holds runners back. I believe that my mind is strong enough to surpass those barriers. I say this because I run not for personal glory, as many runners do. Instead, I run for my teammates, my coaches, and for everyone who has gotten me where I am, I believe this is a much stronger motivation. Don't get me wrong I love running! But when I feel the pain in my legs and my lungs are on fire, and the thought of easing up comes, I push my body harder, not for myself, but for those I run for. An example of this is my freshman year of XC. I ended up being the 4th runner on my team, which was ranked second going into state. I was not even close to being ranked in the top 20, but when the race ended I was in 13th place with a time that beat my old PR by 30 seconds. I went into that race thinking about how this was my seniors last high school race and it was up to me to perform so that they could go out on top. I used them as my motivation to push my body past what my coaches, teammates, parents, and myself believed it could do. We ended up winning state by two points. I believe this is what separates me from other runners. I can be counted on to put my team first and I will always push myself to be the best I can be to them. I can see why some view distance running as an individual sport, but for me it is a team sport. 

For the next chapter of my life, I am seeking a team, a coach, a program, a college that will make me the best student-athlete I can be.  I want to go somewhere I can be part of a community that challenges me athletically and academically with a team and support staff that is knowledgeable, encouraging and gives me a reason to run.