Alexander Lehr '21 Recruiting Profile

 If you were to tell me four years ago that I would be filling out my profile for possible collegiate running, I would have called you insane. It wasn’t that I didn’t like running, but it always took a back seat to soccer, that was until my Freshman year. The summer before I started high school I decided to run with the Cross Country summer conditioning program to stay in shape. That summer something just clicked with me and running. I took off and was running like never before. My progress was immediate and my times were dropping fast. This sport was speaking to me. I loved the camaraderie amongst my teammates and the individuality of the sport where I was constantly challenging myself, of course there was also the runner’s high that came with the completion of a solid run. I soon stopped soccer to dedicate all my time to running. I learned that I thrive best when I’m competing against myself. I started to see myself be more productive, more social, and perform better academically when I dove deeper into the sport. As a Freshman I was putting up some of the teams fastest times and was thrust into a leadership role. Between my work being the head of my school’s jazz combo and serving on the student government; leading a group of people was nothing new to me. However, leading a sports team made me learn a whole new mindset. This leader mindset and my personal drive is what separates me from other runners.

Running has taught me how to push my limits, but I don’t think I’ve come close to reaching my full potential. Nothing feels better than beating my own personal record and I know that with my dedication I will being doing that often over the next few years. If I were to stop running after my high school years not only would I be losing a sport I am incredibly dedicated to, but I feel like I’d be missing out on a ton of potential athletically and personally. I still want to get stronger, run faster, push my limits and push my boundaries.