How far will you run? Junior Megan Mirkhanian runs an average of ten miles every day as part of her workout for Hoover High School’s Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field teams. Mirkhanian joined the teams in her sophomore year, and right from the start she knew running was something she was excellent at and enjoyed very much.

When asked about why she did not try out for cross country earlier in high school, Mirkhanian responded that she had heard being in sports would be “too much pressure.” Although being on the sports team is still tough, she loves running so much that she is willing to go the extra mile and work hard to keep up her grades at the same time.

“I do not sleep,” said Mirkhanian. “I leave practice at seven in the evening, which interferes with the time I would have to do my homework.”

Mirkhanian’s running schedule also restricts the time she has to hang out with friends and family. She is required to meet and run with her team six days of the week and she chooses to run on her own every Sunday.

One of her goals was for her team to participate in the California Interscholastic Federation championships because it would be the first time in over ten years that Hoover’s girls’ cross country team has been there. With her team’s effort, they made it to the championships, but were eliminated after the first round of races. “I was really excited and it was a big deal for Hoover, too, but unfortunately we are not moving on anymore,” Mirkhanian said.

Her hard work and training have given her other awards as well. Mirkhanian has multiple medals for being top runner in races. Her best time this season for a 3-mile race was 19:37, an improvement of two minutes.