Sophomore Mikayla Rachmanova Earns Second Place at Cross Country Meet

by Shir Levenson, SSLI '26

Editor's Note: For today's article, Paw Print Now writer Shir Levenson interviewed sophomore Mikayla Rachmanova, who recently earned second place out of approximately fifty runners at a Cross Country meet.

Shir Levenson (SR): When did you start running?

Mikayla Rachmanova (MR): I started running when I first joined this school in tenth grade. I started when I first joined cross country.

SL: Do you enjoy running?

MR: Yeah, I love running. It's pretty fun.

Mikayla loves being on the Schechter Cross Country team. (SSLI Instagram) 

SL: What made you want to join the team?

MR: I just wanted to try out the experience because I heard it was a really nice experience, and it would be pretty fun, and going to meets would be pretty cool.

SL: There have been three meets so far this season. How do you prepare for each meeting?

MR: To practice, I run in the park, in the woods, and where there are hills. I also go on YouTube and watch how other people run and [listen to] their suggestions. I also eat two hours before [each meet]. I have a banana thirty to forty minutes before, and I drink a lot of water throughout the day.

SL: How do you feel you have improved since the first meet?

MR: Well, I went from finishing in tenth place to top three, so I feel pretty good about that. I feel like I learned a lot from the first meet, like more techniques and how to run up a hill. I run kind of in a zig-zag, and [I have learned] other techniques throughout each experience.

Congratulations, Mikayla! (M. Rachmanova)

SL: What is your advice for new runners?

MR: Just have fun throughout your experience and throughout running. You have to enjoy running. It's really fun once you start and get into it.

SL: What are your goals for the next meets and the upcoming championship?

MR: My goal is to be my best self, to just keep pushing, and to not stop because throughout the meets I’ve stopped like two times. And, I’m going to try to improve by drinking even more water and having more nutritional foods throughout the day to help me build up my energy.

SL: What do you like about being a part of the Schechter Cross Country team?

MR: I love the community. It's honestly amazing. They cheer you on. For practice, if you slow down, they keep cheering you on like, “Come on, you got it.” And, the friends are amazing.

Shir Levenson is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since December 2022. Shir is currently a junior at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: slevenson26@schechterli.org