Isabelle Lees is the recipient of the 2022 Nicole Reinhart Memorial Scholarship.
LVRR: What college will you attend and intended major of study? Do you plan to run while attending college?
IL: I will be attending Boston College to study Accounting. I plan on taking advantage of the great running community in Boston by joining a running club in college, but I will not be on Boston College’s official team.
LVRR: What age did you start running and why?
IL: I started running when I was around 9 because of LVRR’s Kids Series Races. My dad volunteered there for Olympus, one of LVRR’s sponsor companies for the races, and he started bringing my brothers and me along to participate in the races.
LVRR: What is your greatest accomplishment in your running career?
IL: The greatest accomplishment in my running career was going to the state meet for cross country all four years with my team. It was an amazing experience to go and compete with such fantastic runners.
LVRR: Describe an experience where you had to “sink or swim.” What did you learn from it?
IL: Leading up to the district meet for cross country, some of my team’s top runners got injured or sick. During the district meet, I ran my best race of the season and dropped 30 seconds from my time on the course at the EPC meet, and my team earned the final spot to the state meet by finishing in second place one point ahead of the next team. This experience taught me the importance of adapting to situations, because life never goes the way that you expect it to go, and it taught me the importance of teamwork and trusting people to support you, because there are some things that you just cannot accomplish on your own.
LVRR: Who has been your most influential role model and why?
IL: My parents have definitely been my most influential role models. They are so hardworking and kind, and they inspire me to do my best.
LVRR: What would most people be surprised to learn about you?
IL: Something that most people would be surprised to learn about me is that I keep a reading log of all the books that I read, and it goes back to 2014. I don’t know exactly how many books I’ve read in total because I keep track of the books that I read in each year rather than a continuous count of all the books that I’ve read, but the log is over 30 pages long.
LVRR: What is one word you would say to someone who has just started running– whether it be a youth in the LVRR Kids Series, or an older individual- about why running is worth it?
IL: Community. Running has allowed me to get to know truly amazing people, and I know that I would not have my best friends without cross country and track to introduce us. Running gives you a community of people who will be there for you no matter what.
LVRR: Who is in your running support network?
IL: My parents and teammates make up my running support network. My family is always there to support me and cheer me on, whether I’m having my best race or my worst one. I know that my friends will always be willing to help me with whatever I need, and they always encourage and inspire me to do my best
LVRR: What events did you run in high school?
IL: I ran the 5k for cross country. During track, I mainly ran the 3200m, but I also ran in the 1600m, 800m, and 4x800m relay.
LVRR: What cross training do you incorporate into your running routine, if any? Do you focus more on cross training in the off season (if there is an off season for you!), or do you tend to cross train throughout the entire training cycle?
IL: For cross training, I typically bike. I focus more on cross training in the summer before the cross-country season starts
LVRR: How do you stay motivated when you don’t want to run?
IL: The best way for me to stay motivated is to make plans to run with other people. It makes the run more enjoyable, and I am a lot less likely to not run when other people are expecting me to run with them.
LVRR: What are the top three “little things” that you do to prevent injury?
IL: The number one thing that I do to prevent injury is to stretch before and after running. It’s a simple and sometimes overlooked step, but it is essential. Beyond that, I think it’s important to get the right amount of sleep and to know my body’s limits. Sometimes, your body just needs a break, and it’s better to stop and rest than continue to train.
LVRR: What extracurricular activities (outside of running) and community involvement have you participated in?
IL: During high school, I was involved in the National Honor Society (NHS) and Reading Olympics. I was the secretary of Gratitude Club (a community service club) and an editor for The Stinger (Emmaus’ school newspaper). Outside of school, I volunteer at the Lower Macungie Library and work at Parkland Community Library as a shelver and at Giant as a cashier.
