The following is a transcript of an interview with Graham Boles (’25), a member of St. Stephen’s cross country and track teams.

Name, Grade, Running Personal Records, Goal for your high school career?

11th grade, 800m – 1:59, Mile – 4:27 

Goals for this year: I want the school record for the mile (4:11), a sub 4 mile in my lifetime, and I would like to run at Brooks PR invitational because it’s a hard race to get into.

What inspired you to start running?

My mom made me do cross country and it was fun. I was better at running than other sports. Also, my parents were too short for me to play basketball.

What do you love most about your sport?

I like when you run a personal record because it makes all the training feel worth it.

What is the hardest thing about running?

The hardest thing about running is not feeling good every practice and then you doubt yourself as a result.

What are your goals in college running and recruitment?

My goal is to run D1 at a top running school.

What is your mindset going into a race?

Stick to the race plan. 

I.e. Stay at the back of the lead pack until the last lap and then compete for first. ick 

Tell me about a memorable race?

My most memorable race is Running Lane Track Championships in Huntsville, Alabama. I went from being in third to the last place to second place in the last lap of the mile.

Any advice for other runners?

My advice would be stay consistent and believe in yourself because you’re never running alone.

Who is your runner inspiration?

Yaseen Abdalla (a college runner who formerly went to St. Stephens) because he was bad and then got good.

Cross country or track — and why?

My favorite between the two is track because no one likes running for 15 minutes. Track is more fun because it’s easier to run fast on track than on grass and running fast is fun.

Any last points?

“Sprinters are an L because they have low pain tolerance.”