About the Website

This website, and the work I put in outside of what I post here, is conceived from my vision to not only pay respect to all of those who assisted me in my life, especially my parents who emigrated from India, but also to convey my ambition to have an impact and make a difference in the world the same way I wanted to have on East Islip Track and Field.

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Kahrs 9:57.89, Lattuca 9:58.92, Foley 9:58.93 McNamara 10:05.32

Looking up at the scoreboard after the penultimate race of my sophomore year in high school, I saw what I always thought would be the unbelievable. Skylar Lattuca and Kevin Foley, runners from my grade that I knew very well and competed with for years, had just broken 10 minutes in the 2 mile (3200m) race, a feat that very few sophomores in Suffolk County could accomplish. Yet, while I sat there and revered the two for their effort that day, little did I know what it would be like to chase that same goal less than two years down the line.

Senior year of high school proved to very different than the way I envisioned what would be the culmination of my running career. Many of the upperclassmen had graduated, leaving me to train alone over the summer and at many times during the year. I imagined myself being a leader in the same way many of the upperclassmen were to me, yet many of the underclassmen didn't have the same amount of respect for the sport that I did. A minor knee injury had taken hold at the end of the summer, which caused my performances in cross country and indoor track to suffer. Due to poor preemptive planning, I had to juggle schoolwork with college applications to the very end of January.

Yet when I recovered from the injury, and all of the college applications were finished, and I had adjusted to training alone and learned to push myself, I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was my dream to make a resurgence for spring track of my senior year, effectively my final season competing for East Islip, and run under a 10 minute two mile myself.

It wasn't just about the time. Running under 10 minutes would most definitely place me within the top 24th spot in the county for the 2 mile, allowing me to compete in the Suffolk County State Qualifier at the very end of the season. Being in peak shape would also enable me to help East Islip win another league championship title.

So at the start of the season in March, after running 60+ miles weeks for all of the preseason in February, I regained my confidence, my drive, and was ready for the challenges that lay ahead. Workouts that previously seemed strenuous now felt lax, and I began to now run faster on tempo runs, intervals, and early season track competitions than I had ever before.

However when the end of the season came in May, often where people would run their fastest times, the strength that I originally felt a few months prior turned into fatigue. First it started at the Saint Anthony's Invitational, the most important competition before the divisional and state qualifying meets, where general weariness and adverse weather conditions lead to a unsatisfactory race.

Then came the final individual meet between East Islip and Eastport South Manor. With both teams undefeated at the time, this meet would decide who would become league champions. Stepping up to the line for the mile, I took a deep breath knowing I would be competing against longtime rival Ryan Corbett, one of the fastest milers in the county. Despite running a season best in the mile, fatigue kicked in during the two mile and I came in third. That day, East Islip lost to Eastport South Manor 71-70.

Finally came the divisional championship meet at the end of the season. With morale at an all time low and atrocious weather that many believed should have cancelled the meet, it seemed that there was a supernatural force that was against my dream. Finishing the 2 mile race that day, my final personal best was 10:12. My position in the county: 25th.

Failing all of the goals and expectations I set for myself in the beginning of the season, I felt defeated. How could I get so close and lose it all?

Reflecting back on all that happened a year later, I would always ask myself the same question:

Would I do it all again?

The answer to that question will always be yes.

This is because this was the first time in my life where I was deeply motivated by a vision that had to do with more than just myself. I wanted to win so badly so I could represent East Islip High School, pay respect to my coach and my former teammates: people who invested so much of their time and effort into seeing me and the team succeed, and finally to show further generations that there is a path to success despite adversity.

While I didn't succeed this time, I plan to pursue many more dreams in the future. Ultimately my experience taught me the importance of having purpose in the work you do and recognizing its impact to society, and that is an invaluable lesson I well never forget.