For Jude Roberts, running has always been a part of his life, but his competitive track journey only started a few years ago.
“I have always been running ever since a young age, but when I was near the end of fifth grade, I decided to join a track team just for one season to see if I liked it, and that ended up spiraling into my love for the sport,” Roberts said.
One of his favorite parts about running is the satisfaction of being able to see your hard work pay off on the track. And while track is considered an individual sport, having an encouraging team to cheer you on is equally important.
“My team is full of great people who continue to push me to do better,” Roberts said.
His most recent competition was at the New Balance National Indoors meet, where his results for the 400 meter Middle school race show just how dedicated he is to track.
“At the meet, I ended up running a 55.33, which was not what I wanted to run, although it was still a really solid time, placing me second out of the 7th graders there,” Roberts said.
Despite the results not being what he had originally hoped, placing second out of every seventh grader is no easy feat. Achieving these records is bound to be encouraging, and with the addition of his love for the sport, Roberts has made it so that he has no plans to stop.
“I want to take my running career as far as possible. I want to take the school record here and at Huron, and eventually end up going to a good college to run. I don’t know how far I can go in my running, but there is always a goal to be chasing in this sport,” He adds.
As he hopes to have running always be a part of his life, Roberts has shown great dedication and commitment to the sport as he continues to reach new speeds.
“If you’re thinking about joining a track, I definitely think you should. In track, you might not immediately get the results you want, but the results you want to see come with both hard work and consistency. Track is also one of the few sports where pretty much anyone can do it and get better at it. If you told 5th-grade me how fast I am now, he wouldn’t believe you.”
