By Jack Horsman ‘18
New to campus this year, junior Enock Musyoka has already made his mark on the school.
Hailing from Kenya, Enock came to Lawrence Academy trained as a field hockey player, a sport also played by boys’ in his country. However, looking for a new sport to play this fall, he chose to run cross country.
As turns out, he’s a pretty talented runner.
While his natural athleticism surely lends a hand in his success, that is not the be-all-end-all. As his coach, LA history teacher Kira Shaikh, said, “He is driven to be the best… he just likes to be first.”
Enock’s desire to be number one allows him to give it his all every time he laces up his sneakers.
“You can see his dedication to every single work out…”
Kira Shaikh, LA cross country about Enock Musyoka ’21
Running is a very exhausting sport. It is sometimes jokingly referred to — in other sports’ practices as punishment; this places emphasis on the physical demand it takes not just to run, but to run far and fast.
In cross country, you have to be able to press on through pain and fatigue, reaching your physical limits if you truly want to succeed.
“Honestly, it stinks! It hurts! And it’s a really, really uncomfortable place to be; however, Enock has pushed his body to that point,” exclaimed Kira. “Your body can do much more than your mind thinks it can.”
By placing such high expectations on himself, Enock’s competitive drive has permeated the entire team.
“I believe the competition between each other has increased throughout the years and especially this season,” noted Ms. Shaikh. “I’m excited to see how the team continues to compete with each other next season.”
And the season isn’t over for Enock. Coach Shaikh reported, “He will be running tomorrow at St. Marks in the NEPSAC all-stars race. And the Saturday after Thanksgiving, he will be running at the Footlocker meet in the Bronx.” Go Enock go!