This month’s athlete spotlight is Kathryn James. For those of you who don’t know, James is a senior at St. Joe who runs cross country. Originally, she came to St. Joe after hearing such amazing things about the school from her sister. Over her four years at St. Joe, she’s touched the lives of everyone she’s met, including buddy Rosie Schibig. Always going the extra mile to introduce herself to others, James leaves everyone with a smile.

“Kathryn is one of the sweetest people I have met at St. Joe. She is passionate about everything she does, including sports,” Rosie gushed.

Kathryn recently competed in the state championship in Columbia, Missouri with the rest of the varsity team. She has always seen running as a fun outlet and something she loves, but she did not join cross country until her junior year. She would not trade it for anything. Her goal for her senior season was to drop time and increase her mileage on long run days. 

“My favorite part about cross country is getting in a good workout with my friends,” she recounts. “I get my motivation from the Jesse Owens quote: We all have dreams. In order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”  

The best piece of advice she has for new runners is to listen to your body and treat it well. You cannot push yourself to these levels if you don’t nourish yourself. Although James does not intend to run in college, it will continue to be a personal hobby for the rest of her life.