Two of the greatest track stars that this school has ever seen competed on November 6th, 2023 at the NYSAIS championships. You may have seen Mirembe Mubanda’s and Owen Larson’s names in countless emails from Gus Ornstein, usually notifying us that one of them had broken yet another school record. At NYSAIS, both performed exceptionally well: Larson placed second in the boys’ division, and Mirembe placed fourth in the girls’ division. These spots also qualified them for the NY State Federation Championships. At the State Championships, Larson placed 28th out of 287 runners, and Mubanda placed 31st out of 287 runners. Mubanda’s time broke her own Fieldston record for the girl’s 5K. I had the pleasure of sitting with Larson and Mubanda and asking them about their performances.
Will Saunders: How do you prepare for your races?
Owen Larson: To begin my warmup routine, I start by using a foam roller to massage and activate multiple muscle groups. The movement and tension on the muscles allow them to stretch out, ridding any muscles of soreness and tightness. Since the workout is more lower-body focused, I usually roll out my quads, glutes, calves, and hamstrings. Next, I use a stretching rope. I wrap the middle of the rope around the soles of my feet and swing my legs up in certain positions to target various muscles. This exercise is vital before workouts because it improves flexibility, increases your range of motion, and has your stride feeling comfortable and relaxed. The more relaxed your stride is, the less energy you expend during the workout. Afterward, I activate my glutes, quads, and hamstrings using a resistance band. I put the band around my legs and performed a lateral walk. The small bit of discomfort and burn allows the muscles to warm up and prepare for the strenuous load that they are about to withstand. I then do a 20-minute warm-up jog to shake out my muscles, followed by a dynamic exercise to raise the heart rate and get the blood flowing.
WS: How did you feel about your NYSAIS Race?
OL: The race started pretty slow, as would any championship race. With about 1.2k to go, the first-place athlete immediately started to slam on the gas and kick. I was pretty surprised by the move but I decided to go with him. I ended up gaining on him towards the very end but he still managed to take it. I managed to close the last 1k in 2:39.5, bettering my opponent’s final 1k in 2:40.9. However, it was not enough to take the win. I am still very proud of my effort.
WS: How did you feel about the States?
OL: 16:50. 28th place. The race started super fast and I had so much adrenaline I didn’t even notice. I started in about 35th place. After about 2k I started to pick up the pace and started to pick people off. I had my mom tell me what place I was in every time I passed her. I heard her call as high as 30th place. After hearing that I tried to pick off more people and there was about a mile left. I was feeling pretty good. However, my super fast start caught up with me and I started to fade a little bit. I fought hard to try and keep my placement and I managed to kick in the last 200m and pass more people at the end. I was disappointed with the result because I knew I had more to prove.
WS: What advice would you give to other athletes?
OL: In general, I would tell current and future athletes that results are not going to come right away. You have to continue sticking to a routine and trust that the process of doing that every day will result in success. All great athletes continue to work on their craft every day.
Will Saunders: How did you prepare for your races?
Mirembe Mubanda: I prepared for my races by doing regular training: running workouts, lifting with my team, going for long runs, and going for easy runs. I try not to over-hype pre-race rituals and everything before my races. I do that so I can stay calm and relax, and treat it like I’m going into any other run, not a big meet. Otherwise, I get stressed out and that can have negative impacts on your race, like if you start to overthink every little thing.
WS: How did you feel about your NYSAIS Race?
MM: NYSAIS wasn’t that great for me this year. I had gotten a stress fracture earlier in the season and that hindered my training. On top of that, I also got the flu in the middle of the season and had to take almost 2 weeks off from any exercise at all. So at NYSAIS, I was still recovering and getting back into feeling like myself again.
WS: How did you feel about the States?
MM: By States, I was feeling a lot better. I had recovered a lot more and my training was getting back to normal. I had a normal mileage the week right before states and that helped to boost my confidence. States went well for me; I was super happy with my time on the course and I ran a lot faster than I had last year when I wasn’t injured, and I had not gotten sick. After I finished States I was feeling dead, I had no energy left. I tried to give it everything that I had in that race. States was also really fun because I beat all the girls who had beaten me at NYSAIS which was rewarding because I knew I could beat them at NYSAIS, I just wasn’t feeling like myself
WS: What advice would you give to other athletes?
MM: For all athletes and more specifically for runners, just stick with it. If you put in the hard work into running you will improve and hit the goals that you set for yourself. Always trust the process when you’re racing, it’ll all come together eventually, even if that day is not perfect, one race doesn’t define you as an athlete. It is all part of a year-long journey, not just one race. That’s what I always tell myself, it is a part of the journey, not the destination.
