By Michael Loschiavo – Staff Reporter

Sophomore James Marino has been a key asset to the Jonathan Law boys cross country team. His times have been improving each race. On October 5, the boys competed at Eisenhower Park and Marino placed 12th with a time of 20:24. He looks to finish the season off strong. Staff reporter Michael Loschiavo interviewed Marino about his cross country season.

Michael Loschiavo: What are your goals for the season?

James Marino: My goals are to be the eighth alternate runner at the State XC meet and to run under 20 minutes by the end of the season.

ML:  How do you prepare yourself for every race?

JM: By drinking a lot of water, stretching out well, and warming up properly. I try to make sure that I eat the right foods during the day so I don’t get cramps or a stomach ache during the runs. Even on non-meet days I try to push myself to do my best in practice.

ML: What do you hope to run by the end of the season?

JM: By the end of the season, I would like to drop my time by around 20 seconds on a 3.1 mile course, making my time low 20’s and maybe even under 20 minutes.

ML: Do you look up to anyone on the team and why?

JM: I look up to both Dan Wasserman and Tyler Makenna-Hansen as captains of our team. But most importantly, I look up to my friend, Mike Loschiavo, that I’ve been running with since 6th grade. He has been pushing me for all of my short running career. Most of all he’s a great friend.

ML:  What motivates you before a race?

JM: While I’m on the bus I listen to subtle songs just to keep me focused. Then when we get to the meet I listen to some more hype music that gets me ready and motivated to run.