Many records may seem untouchable as if they are improbable feats to reach. However, for a senior standout, cross country runner Ansh Parashar, no record is safe. 

Parashar recently broke the school record time for three miles and continues to shine as a star on the track. With a time of 14 minutes and 37 seconds, Parashar was able to shatter the previous school record of 14 minutes and 41 seconds, leaving the competition in the dust. 

“Breaking the 3-mile school record means everything to me since I have worked incredibly hard these last few years and this is a direct result of my hard work,” Parashar said. “It feels amazing to know that whenever I look at the Top 25 board in the gym, I am at the top.” 

Parashar has come a long way from when he first started getting into running. In elementary and middle school, he mainly focused on tennis and swimming but decided to join cross country to work on his endurance. 

“I wasn’t particularly good, but as track rolled around and swimming and tennis season ended, my focus switched to running and I was able to improve a lot,” Parashar said. ¨I got fast enough to the point where I quit tennis, only did swim team during the summer and made running my main sport.” 

Even though cross country is an individual sport, Parashar did not achieve great success on his own. He has a strong group of teammates and coaches that has supported him throughout his time at UHS and helped him become the runner that he is today. Parashar appreciates how his coach, Eric Davies, has supported him through difficult races and shares his joy when he performs well. 

Parashar also leans on his teammates, especially fellow co-captains seniors Josh Malek, William Boschen and Andy Xu, for support and advice during tense situations at meets. Having teammates to hold him in check allows him to maintain focus, and Parashar professed how much his teammates mean to him.

“Without them, I could have never reached where I am today,” Parashar said. “They have supported me every step of the way, never giving up on myself.”

To perform at such a high level, Parashar had to learn from his mistakes and develop a strong mindset to take into races. Over these past four years at UHS, he has learned to focus on the details that he can control instead of worrying about external factors that may affect his performance. 

”As much as you hope for the perfect conditions on race day, they rarely ever happen and all that matters is your own tenacity and mental strength to do your best,” Parashar said.

Parashar has embraced this mindset by aiming to stay as relaxed as possible before races. 

“I always try to emphasize a fun running environment with my teammates, ensuring that we get work done but also have an amazing time doing it,” Parashar said.

With Parashar’s time at UHS winding down, he looks toward a bright future ahead with college cross country running possibly on the horizon. However, no matter what happens, it will still be an important part of Parashar’s life.

“If running in college doesn’t work out for me, I will always still run for fun as it has brought me lots of joy,” Parashar said.

For now, the senior will finish out the season for the UHS Cross Country team aiming to continue his success going forward.