Many people throughout GA’s community know senior Juli Gonzalez ’22 because of her outstanding running abilities in both cross country and track. Having started running in fourth grade and competing in sixth grade, Gonzalez is now a senior and will be leaving GA in less than two months with countless achievements and records.
Gonzalez began running in fourth grade by doing local 5k races with her dad and brother. However, watching her brother and his friend’s races is what inspired her desire to compete in sixth grade, participating in both cross country and track. But Gonzalez says that now, “what motivates [her] the most is chasing a faster time; you always know you can do better, and it becomes almost addicting.”
When looking back on who was the most important person in her running career, Gonzalez points to recently retired Coach Judy Krouse because she “changed my life completely.” Krouse coached Gonzalez through Middle School track and Upper School cross country. Gonzalez also emphasized the importance of team relationships at GA and how “if the team is close, that’s how you know the season is going to go well.” Because of the strong bond she has created with her GA teammates, everyone can be “better for each other” and “stand tall together.” Since running is not only a physically exhausting but also a mentally exhausting sport, having a team filled with athletes trying to uplift each other constantly is a huge advantage in races.
One of Gonzalez’s biggest accomplishments is her school record in the 800 meter race with a time of 2:14. She has won several awards from GA such as Most Improved Runner, Most Valuable Runner, Outstanding Performance Award, and Coaches’ Award. She is also part of the Distance Medley Relay school record and both indoor and outdoor 4×4 school record.
Gonzalez has participated in other programs outside of GA to improve her running abilities. She went to a summer camp designed for high school distance runners: Team Prep USA. She described the camp as a “culture shock” because she had “never been surrounded by so many extraordinary runners all at once…it opened my eyes to what running really is outside of GA.” Gonzalez is also in an outside running club team, which she feels has shaped her into a better runner because of how they approach the sport. Her club team asks, “What are your goals and what will it take to get there? What are you willing to sacrifice?” She appreciates this new look on running because they acknowledge that “it’s okay to sacrifice because you realize how bad you want it.”
One of Gonzalez’s biggest obstacles was her physical health in the beginning of her sophomore year. Her body grew faster than her heart, so, when she ran, her heart wasn’t able to keep up. She was unable to run all summer going into her sophomore year, causing a slow cross country and indoor season. She would tell herself, “ ‘Oh, I’ll get it next time’, but I knew I couldn’t keep prolonging it. And that was really hard for me because how do I become a better runner?” She felt like she was just “racing the clock” instead and she wasn’t having fun with the sport anymore. However when COVID-19 hit in the spring of her sophomore year, it allowed her to train more and get back to where she was.
Gonzalez got accepted into Brown University where she will continue her running career. She is excited because “it’s a great school…and I already know a few girls on the team and have been talking to girls from my classes and everyone is super nice.” She is looking forward to working with her new coaches because they are “literally the nicest people and I trust their program and what they’re building.” We wish her the best of luck in the future and cannot wait to see what she will accomplish next!