Freshman runner sprints to victory

Freshman Sasha Pickard, then an eighth-grader at Redwood Middle School, caught a glimpse of the finish line peeking through the trees as she pushed through the last straight away during the Santa Clara County meet at Montgomery Hill Park last October. While placing first in the 2.06-mile race, with a time of 13:49, she crossed the finish line with a wide smile on her face.

“I was covered in sweat and barely able to breathe, but I was so happy I finished,” Pickard said. “When I think back to the course, to the points [where] I almost gave up, where I almost dropped back, I smile because I’m proud that I persevered through it all.”

Pickard, who was ranked fourth among California middle school runners in the 1600m and fifth in the 800m, has always had a passion for running.

She started her running career at age 7 in her hometown of Austin, Texas, where she joined the track and field team. Back then, she ran the 100m, 200m and 400m dashes at the regional and state levels.

Through soccer training, she effectively built her stamina, which helped her in longer races.

“Running for 80 minutes during a soccer game, with only one break in between, certainly requires you to keep moving,” she said. “That comes in handy in races, since you need to be able to catch your breath while keeping a pace.”

As Pickard grew as a runner, she switched to running the 1600m at age 10 because she enjoyed long distance running on inclines and slopes rather than flat tracks.

“[Cross country] races are longer and way more interesting to run because you don’t know where the finish line is, so there are a lot of different strategies deployed by different runners,” she said.

Not only has running helped Pickard physically, it has also shaped who she is today by teaching her perseverance and determination.

“After the second lap in a [track meet] or after a big hill in a race, I just couldn’t drop out,” she said. “I had to keep going to finish the race. If I was going to finish, I might as well give it my all.”

Since  moving to California in 2013, Pickard has placed first in every cross country meet she has competed in, besides winning the county races for middle school girls in seventh and eighth grade.

In track, she qualified for both the West Valley Athletic League meet and the Santa Clara Counties meet in the 100m, 800m and 1600m, achieving personal records for all three. At league finals, she ranked fifth in the 100m with a time of 13.8 seconds. In the 800m and 1600m races, she placed third and second, running respective times of 2:26 and 5:22.

At the Amatuer Athletic Union (AAU) Regionals, she placed first in both the 800m and 1500m. She qualified for AAU Nationals in Iowa, but was unable to compete because she fractured her wrist the week before.

“The doctor told me I had to stop training for about a week, which was devastating,” Pickard said. “After three weeks, I convinced my doctor to give me a removable cast instead of a hard and heavy one so I could start getting back in shape for the upcoming season.”

She is also listed on the Cross Country Express website as one of the top freshmen in the state entering high school.

Pickard attributes her success to support from her coaches, teammates and family. Her family helps encourage her both at practice and at meets.

As a marathon and half Ironman runner, Pickard’s mother, Jeni Pickard, teaches her about form and breathing techniques. Her father, Griffin Pickard, always cheers her on from the sidelines at races and calls out split times. Pickard’s 13-year-old sister, Ellie, even runs with her.

Pickard hopes to improve her times by the end of high school so she can go to a Division 1 school for running. She said she would love to run track and cross country in college and try marathons, triathlons and perhaps an Ironman someday.

This cross country season, Pickard wants to get faster mile split times and learn from fellow teammates by training hard. She would like to run under 12 minutes in 2-mile races and break her current mile time of 5:22.

“Running to me is an escape from the world, with only me, the trails and the sound of my feet against the pavement,” Pickard said. “Once I start, I just can’t stop.”