Senior track and cross country runner Nico Rivas has led his team to an outstanding season, breaking multiple school records in the process.
Nico has run track for Galileo since his sophomore year. He began track after he started running cross country and his coaches encouraged him to participate in both sports. His track journey came out to a rough start, as he was barely able to jog a three mile run without getting exhausted. He continued, though, because many of his friends joined the track team at the same time. “There’s a deeper appreciation for the people that supported me,” says Nico. Many of those friends who joined track still run with him today.
This year, Nico set school records in the mile and 3200 meter and ran school and personal best times at multiple invitationals. Galileo long distance running went through a long lull in success, yet there has been a recent uptick, making these records incredibly impressive. Though Nico appreciates seeing his hard work pay off, it’s often about more than just awards for him. “The awards were really also for the people who supported me like my teammates and my family.” Nico attributes much of his success to the people around him. If Nico were to keep these times up throughout the season, he would qualify for state again in both events, which would be his third trip to the state competitions in a row.
One of his supporters was his coach, Mr. Braun. Braun has helped guide Nico on his path towards a city championship since he began running. “Nico’s development was definitely nice to see,” says coach Braun.” “He’s very coachable, which I think has contributed to his success. He’s also built a strong bond with his teammates.” Fellow long distance runners Georges Bikahi and Shepard Petersen have had a huge impact on his success, as since they run together, they are able to push each other, as well as simulate all-city level competition. Despite this being Nico, as well as many others senior year, coach Braun is confident in the team’s future.
Nico has had a lot of time to reflect on his time running track, as well as how his experience can help people who would also like to improve their running skills, for both sport and leisure. His best advice to those people is to: “just run a lot.” He hopes to pursue his track and cross country career in college, where he will attend UC Berkeley.
