Athlete of the Week: Joe Racine, TD '00

Joe Racine, TD '00, hails from Valparaiso in the heart of Hoosier country. He grew up playing basketball and still loves to play the game. Four years ago, Racine came east to ply his trade in the Ivy League, but that trade wasn't basketball, which he hasn't played seriously since the ninth grade. Rather, Racine came to run. And run he has. "I went from varsity cross-country to the benchwarmer on the freshman [basketball] team," he said. "The choice was easy."

Joe Racine, TD '0o  Men's Cross Country  Hometown: Valparaiso, Indiana  Major: Chemical Engineering  Years running corss country: 11  Best part of cross country: "Chicks dig speed"  What he will do after his collegiate running career is over: "I'm looking forward to gaining 15-20 pounds."  Favorite Halloween costume: This year, a TD freshman dressed as Racine for the Inferno.

Since arriving at Yale, Racine has steadily worked his way up through the ranks of Eli runners. In this, his final cross-country season, Racine, who specializes in the 800-meter, 1,000-meter, and mile races, now finds himself at the top of the heap. The team's No. 1 runner hopes to continue a highly successful collegiate cross-country career at the NCAA District Qualifiers, to be held at Franklin Park in Boston on Sat., Nov. 13, by qualifying for the NCAA National Championships.

If he runs well, Racine has an excellent chance at qualifying. Just a few weeks ago, he ran the best time in Yale history on the course at Franklin Park on Fri., Oct. 15, where he finished 10th at the New England Championships. He covered the five mile course in 24:41—45 seconds faster than his previous best.

Racine is not letting his accomplishments go to his head, however. "It's the last cross-country race of my career," he said. "I'm just looking to have a good race and have fun with my team. Anything on top of that is a bonus, but that's not really my goal. I hope we can finish great as a team."

It is obvious that Racine is concerned with racing well, but with his career coming to a close, he realizes that the sport has been an important part of his life. "Running has done so many things for me," he said. "It's given me confidence and I have truly enjoyed being a student-athlete. It's going to be odd to not be defined that way next year."

That is not to say that he plans to give up the sport altogether after graduation. "I'd like to break 2:45 in a marathon and become a lifetime road runner," he said. He may even attempt to run with a professional club called the Reebok Enclave in Washington, D.C., next year. "It's a dream to get paid to run," he said. "It really depends on how well I run this year."

If Racine, a chemical engineering major, is unable or chooses not to run professionally next year, he already has plans to begin work for a company in Maclean, Va.

Oh yeah, and he'll always find time to play some basketball.

Photo by John Yi.

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