Feeling the trail under his feet and the hot wind in his lungs, Nick Foster, a senior at Pioneer, competed against top high school athletes in the country at the 2018 New Balance Outdoor Nationals. At the two-mile race, Foster finished first with a time of eight minutes and 59.46 seconds.

Throughout high school Foster has found that running is more than just a physical battle, “I’ve realized this year that it is all mental. I go to practice because I want to, not because I have to” he says. Foster adds that, “[quitting] is not an option…you can’t give yourself a way out”. During a race, Foster says he will always finish, saying, “Stopping is never a thought that I have, I just think about going faster”.

Foster explains that the balance between school, social life, and sport is tough. “I run and do homework, eat and go to sleep. There’s not a whole lot of time”, he says, “…I have accepted the fact that I am going to run every day”. While Foster spends most of his time on the track or in school, he says, “I enjoy doing it, I don’t have to force myself…running has turned into my social life”. Don Sleeman, Pioneer’s mens cross country coach says, “He [Foster] is intuitive, he listens and he thinks. He is a coachable athlete”.

With college around the corner, Foster explains that “the past couple of months have been crazy. I have spoken on the phone to over fifty schools”.  Sleeman says he is fulfilled knowing Foster is going far, “I’m happy for him, it’s really gratifying.” Although there are many options for Foster he, like other seniors, finds this fall to be full of difficult choices, “I have to make a decision. Everyone wants me to go to their school and that’s stressful,” he says, “But hopefully I’ll decide soon”.

Like many other athletes, the thought of injury crosses the young runner’s mind, “It’s a scary thought,” he says, “…We do everything we can to prevent injury”. Foster explains that luckily, in the sports of track and cross country, common injuries are less severe, “In running there isn’t a lot of career ending injuries, but even being out for a season can be a major setback”.

In general, Foster is excited for his future in running, specifically in college. “It’s gonna be different,” he says.  While Foster loves his Pioneer team, he knows the college atmosphere will be more competitive, “I really like the whole team aspect [to running] and finding people who are going to push me to do better makes me really excited,” he says “Everyone can get better, together”.