Katie Castro is at the start line. Her blood is pumping. Her adrenaline is rushing. She hears the gun and then her mind goes blank. She starts running.
For the ï¬rst 800 meters, she focuses on nothing except to get in front of the pack.
At mile 2 when the pain hits, she zeros in on positive thoughts.
With 800 meters to go, Castro is relying on the energy she gets from running to keep her motivated. She picks up her pace and gives it all she has. She jumps over people who have passed out or have thrown up.
One hundred meters left. Castro kicks it in, and she is in the zone. She only has one goal in mind. Make it to the ï¬nish line, ï¬rst.
Castro, 19, became the ï¬rst woman in De Anza College history to break the 18 minute barrier at the NorCal Preview Meet, ï¬nishing at 17:59. She has won ï¬ve straight meets in a row and is ranked as the No. 2 community college runner in California.
Castro comes from the University of the Paciï¬c. She is a biology major. This is her ï¬rst year at Deanza, and the womens cross country team is now No. 1 in NorCal, and placed fourth in the state.
“She is on a roll, and no one is even close,” cross country coach Nick Mattis said.
But Castro didn’t start off with cross country. She was ï¬rst passionate about soccer. She credits her high school soccer coach for giving her the idea to run long distances.
“He inspired and encouraged me to try out for the cross country team,” Castro says. This was the beginning of cross country, marathons and triathlons for her.
During her intense triathlon training last summer, Castro was involved in a bike crash that left her with a concussion and out for a week, causing her to miss her very ï¬rst triathlon.
But not even a bike crash can slow her down.
“The race is about putting in the hard work you have trained for,” Castro says. She plans on accomplishing the triathlon next summer.
Katie talks about her secrets to staying ï¬t on and off season. She keeps up her cardio when she is not running by cross-training in swimming and biking. She stays on a well balanced pescatarian diet of seafood and keeps well hydrated for her runs.
The women’s cross-country team is training hard to hit more record breaking titles at the Northern California Championships in November. Castro’s teammate Yaritza Barajas says, “She is an amazing and phenomenal runner.”
Castro only has two years of college running experience. But with all the headlines she is making, there is no doubt that Katie Castro has put cross-country back on the map for Deanza.
