Eight lanes are stretched across the track with clean and smooth white painted lanes. Hannah Jicha, senior, is standing behind the line, ready to defeat her competitors next to her. She is chasing something more than just being the best. She is chasing faster times, breaking records, and overcoming barriers. She spends countless hours per week perfecting the way she runs her race.

Currently, Jicha is the top female runner at Strongsville High School. But it’s not just by luck that she holds this title but because of the hard work she puts in when no one is watching. It starts with one simple thing everyday: the positive mindset she carries.

“The mindset is to just compete and give it everything that I have because as long as I know I gave my best effort, I can be happy no matter the result,” Jicha said.

Many run track to stay in shape and to help improve them in their main sport; however, for Hannah running is her sport. It is something that she enjoys doing that makes her happy and feel good. She currently holds many records at the high school and has been super successful during her career here. 

“I think my junior season has been my most successful so far because I dropped a lot of time off of my PRs and had my highest finishes at the state meet,” Jicha said.

Competition is ideal for Hannah; she believes she runs better when she is close with someone in the race. She hates running alone because she feels as if it is only her in the race.

“I’m a really competitive person so I always race my best when I’m being pushed by other runners in a close race. I don’t normally run as well alone as I do when I’m with others,” Jicha said.

Before she even steps onto the track, Jicha prepares herself for the race, something that is never new for her but rather has to be done before every meet happens, not because it is foreseeable but because it is consistent. 

“I always have to wear a ribbon in my hair for meets, and I always eat a bagel sandwich with egg, bacon, and cheese as my pre-race meal,” Jicha said.

Every stride she does is used with purpose. She doesn’t fight with the discomfort that she receives; she instead uses it to her advantage. Every step taken is no wasted motion. She seems so effortless when she runs, as her spikes appear to never hit the track. When races get tough, rather than quitting and slowing down, she pushes, knowing that this will make her to be better and achieve great things. 

“Just knowing that every race, especially the hard ones, are making me better and going to prepare me for that race that really counts in June (state meet),” Jicha said.

Something special that Hannah is allowed to do is compete against the top competition from all over the country. Instead of running every Wednesday, she prepares for the invitationals that are competed on Saturdays and any other large meets she is qualified for. Recently, she had just competed at the Penn Relays, which is one of the largest competitions in the United States. She placed fourth against the toughest competition in her events. She has also won a few state championships that she is very proud of.

“My favorite memory from track is winning the indoor state championship in the 1600m my junior year because it was so unexpected which made it even more meaningful,” Jicha said.

Hannah does not just rely on her own motivation; she performs her best no matter her mood, how her last meet went, or what obstacles occurred. She has extreme discipline and that is what separates her from everyone else. 

“I would say my parents motivate me to do my absolute best. They are both runners, and they are the ones that encouraged me to start running. They both have dedicated so much time to support my running career,” Jicha said.

Her achieving big things doesn’t just happen by accident for her. It happens because she only controls what she can and puts full trust in all of her training that she does. Any track she steps on, she dominates her competition. 

Next year she will be attending Villanova University to continue her academic and track career. She will be majoring in comprehensive sciences on a pre-pharmacy track. 

“I am looking forward to having a big team of girls to train with and push me to do better and hopefully a team that feels like family,” Jicha said.

Jicha is someone that no one would know holds school records or is one of the top runners because of the way she carries herself. In the halls she walks like everyone else. She doesn’t bring along her wins everywhere she goes or expect to be congratulated in every room she walks into. She really is like everyone else, one might say average, until one specific moment.

The word.

“Set.”

The area goes quiet.

Then the sound of the pistol goes off.

And the average goes away.