Leah Zainc has always been a dedicated soul to the sport of track. She started running at 8 years old and gradually became more involved in track after joining a team in the second grade. Ever since then, Zainc has been running day in and day out, training for her time to shine. And it is this year. 

She has been a three-season athlete since her freshman year of high school, competing in indoor track, cross country, and outdoor track, as well as training in the summer. Her one goal when she graduates is to keep running no matter what.

As the senior captain of the team, she plans to run track when she graduates and has already received offers from prestigious schools like University of Massachusetts Boston. 

Being a track captain isn’t as easy as it sounds. Running from 2:30 to 4:30 sounds easy, but running takes endurance and stamina that need to be ingrained and trained into your brain. There is no stopping Zainc. Motivation to keep going can vanish in an instant, but the one thing she always has is motivation and determination to win.

“My coach says, ‘if you think you can’t, you won’t.’ And I just hold that near and dear to my heart, because it’s so simple, but it’s so true. If you think you can’t do something, you’re not going to do it,” said Zainc

Lack of confidence can be overwhelming, but Zainc radiates assurance just by being in the room. As one of Woodland’s greatest runners and an even better teammate, she supports anyone who feels like giving up. 

Zainc is committed everyday and has grown into a captain that teammates can go to. She is one of the most spirited and lively people to watch when running. She runs with absolute grace and makes it look easy, doing something that is tremendously hard.

“Not saying it’s easy. 
It’s definitely very hard,” says Zainc. “Coming straight from practice to doing hours of homework is not everyone’s cup of tea, and it’s hard to stay motivated some days; but it’s something you have to do, or you won’t do anything.”