McKinley High School sophomore Narayan Schneider is a member of the cross-country, track and soccer teams. His more notable achievements are ranking fourth at states for track and 16th in cross-country states. Schneider was not always a track athlete. He originally played soccer and before that was not in any sports.

“I got into running because of my friends. We first started playing soccer but got into track and I ended up getting hooked,” he said. “Sometimes you just need to try. You won’t know if your bad or good if you never try.

“I’ve known Narayan since 5th grade and he … never gave up on running and has always put in a tremendous amount of effort,” said friend Tomoaki Horoiwa.

Schneider was not always as good as he is now.

“I used to be one of the slowest amongst my peers but after putting in effort I became faster,” Schneider said

According to Schneider, though, he did not get to where he is today with only talent.

“Effort is the most important thing to becoming successful. As long as you have the will and determination, nothing is impossible,” he said.

To excel, Schneider has put effort outside of practice as well.

“My morning routine is a 10-25 minute jog and after school practice,” Schneider said. “On days I don’t have practice, I usually run myself.”

“Narayan has always tried his best and puts in more effort than others to get to where he is today and has never stopped striving to improve,” said cross country and long distance track coach Kengo Yoshimoto.

Schneider may be successful, but he has troubles that many others have as well.

“There are many difficulties I have, such as grades or paying attention to my health and injuries,” he said.

Schneider’s dream is not to be in the spotlight but to help others get into it

“My future aspiration is to become a personal trainer for pro-track athletes,” he said.

Being successful may sound fun, but the effort to get there is not easy and many give up.

“Although practice can be difficult and time consuming, I have always thought running was fun, allowing me to pull through,” he said.