Tanja Thomas '24 Recruiting Profile

It has always been my dream to run track since the age of 5. I remember watching the Olympic races on TV with my family and being mesmerized by each athlete and their speed. Each racer looked like a superhero in my eyes. I have always been inspired to be that superhero. I have competed in my town's kid's races or Wednesday night races since I could walk. My older sister ran track and field in high school, and I would race her in the front yard for hours. When I was in the 7th grade, I joined my school track and field team and knew from that point I wanted to continue to race for as long as I can. Because of COVID-19, I was not able to have an 8th-grade track season, but I kept training by myself well in lockdown which taught me a lot of self-discipline. In the following year, I improved greatly. I went from running a 15.2 second 100M in my 8th-grade season to running a 13.99 when we returned to school in my 9th-grade season. In my 2022 season, I made huge improvements. I broke my records in every event and advanced to the Minnesota State championships in the 200m. This year my family moved to a different town where I will be running for a new school that sadly does not have a track because of poor funding. Even though I am facing some hard challenges with a new school and new team, I know I will continue to advance and improve because of my determination and love of track and field.