An Inspiration

I draw inspiration from a lot of different places. One of the people I find to be a big inspiration is recently graduated Westfield State runner Kerry Arouca. I've never met her, don't know much about her, but her progression as a runner throughout 4 years of college is truly amazing and inspiring. She went from a 22-minute 5K runner as a freshman to a 5-time All American, 17-minute 5K runner. She started college as an extraordinarily average DIII runner, and now she is a nationally recognized force to be reckoned with in the 5k and the steeplechase.

Arouca's development as a runner is especially inspring to me because similarly I was "nothing special in high school," and yet I'm still running at the collegiate level while some (if not most) of the DI and competitive DII caliber runners from my high school haven't stuck with it. In my opinion, Arouca is the transcendent representation of hard work and perseverance beating out talent. She is my own personal validation that someone like me can "make it."

Kerry Arouca is more inspiring to me than any world record breaker, DI collegiate standout, or young high school prodigy runner. She is what I aspire to be, and proof that hard work and dedication is more important than a person's perceived capability and talent level.

Article about Kerry: Kerry Arouca Finds Her Stride

Progression of times, taken from DirectAthletics:

Top Performances of Indoor/Outdoor Seasons 2007-2010: