“Heck yeah I can keep up, I’m Kaylen! Who do you think I am?” says senior track athlete, Kaylen Fox, otherwise know as “Foxtail” by her teammates and friends, referring to a time when she didn’t listen to the cross country coach and got lost. This year Fox is beginning her 3rd and final year of Sahuaro Varsity Track, after finishing her second year of varsity cross country. Fox is an outstanding athlete, making it to State in cross country this year and in track for the past two years (being a frustrating .2 seconds from qualifying her sophomore year).

Fox got into running because her mother was a big track star and broke several records at her school. Fox decided that it sounded like fun. She’s been running for around seven years (she took a break during middle school), and this year she’ll be competing in the 400 meter dash, the 4×400, the 4×800 and the 800, beginning the season by taking first place in 400 during her first meet last week.

Fox’s favorite thing about running is the people and the bonds she’s made throughout her years at Sahuaro. “It’s so fun, like we can tell each other anything and we can be total idiots with each other, or we can be serious in those moments that you need to be serious, I appreciate that.”

Fox takes her inspiration from the coaches that have been there on the sidelines yelling and encouraging her for the past three years. “Like Rutherford, Veal, Spencer, as much as I want to punch him,” she laughs,” On the record, especially Spencer and Christian because they’re really encouraging and supportive.” Fox liked that Mr. Christian didn’t make cross country feel like she had to come in first place every time. “It’s just knowing that it wasn’t about winning all the time, like wow.”

Outside of running, Fox is really into creative things, “I like Artsy-fartsy stuff,” she told me. “I like painting or drawing, like making crafts, except they don’t always work out too well. Hot glue is dangerous.” Fox has been known to make her own jewelry and model it at school.

Fox has a lot of offers from out-of-state colleges but would prefer to go somewhere in Arizona to stay closer to her family, though she is debating whether or not to continue her sport on the collegiate level. It all depends on whether or not she gets an offer from Pima Community College, because they don’t make offers on athletes until the end of the track season. Fox says that she plans to keep running, just for fun, for a long, long time.