Taking his last run as a member of the Diamond Bar Cross Country team, four-year senior varsity runner Kiran Joseph hopes to make a lasting impact on Diamond Bar High School in both Cross Country and Track & Field.
Cross Country is one of the most demanding sports offered at Diamond Bar High School. The team has seen a fairly decent amount of success throughout its history, with several CIF appearances and numerous athletes going on to compete for various NCAA colleges across the country. Joseph’s running journey began back in middle school, when he joined the Cross Country and Track teams for both Chaparral Middle School and a club team in the 8th grade.
“I started running in 8th grade when I joined a club team called Chino Hills Flash,” Joseph said. “Then once I came to high school, I joined the cross country team and the track team.”
With numerous accomplishments throughout his competitive running career, Joseph’s accolades include a first-place finish at the Azusa Meet of Champions Distance Classic during his sophomore year, serving as the team leader in the 1600-meter run for track and field last year, along with a CIF appearance for Cross Country in his sophomore year. Being able to push his body to achieve his goals is what Joseph enjoys most about running.
“My favorite part about running is being able to push your body to its limits and find out what you’re truly capable of,” Joseph said.
However, achieving these goals didn’t come without sacrifices for Joseph. Time management and discipline have played a key part in Joseph’s success, especially since Cross Country holds practices at 5:30 a.m. across all three levels.
“Sleep is also important for Cross Country, and waking up at 5:30 often hinders that,” Joseph said. “So you have to learn time management where you can manage an athletic career, tough classes in school, work, and also have time for a social life.”
Despite being a well-respected member of the team, Joseph did struggle a bit earlier in the season. One of the major problems Joseph experienced was his pacing, as he often gassed out in the middle of races. However, Joseph has since then made appropriate adjustments to fix this issue.
“My season initially wasn’t going well,” Joseph said. “I overcame this by analyzing my paces and strategizing the course, like looking at the course ahead and planning. Because of this planning and strategy, I was able to improve my times.”
As Joseph prepares to end his time as a member of Diamond Bar High School Cross Country, he hopes to be remembered fondly by his teammates who are returning next year. He hopes to be remembered as someone who, despite working hard, is still a fun person to be around.
“I hope to be remembered as a teammate that brought the competition, but also the fun,” Joseph said. “I hope the underclassmen remember me as a person who always showed up and gave the best effort.”
With the Cross Country season wrapping up, Joseph is focusing on the Track & Field season coming up in the spring, in which he has several goals. One of his primary goals is to maintain his spot as the top 1600-meter runner on the track team. As for beyond High School, Joseph hopes to potentially begin running marathons in the future.