Few people truly realize the amount of dedication and sacrifice that goes into the sport of track. The physical strain that a runner's body must endure day after day in practice, as well as the mental strain in competitive meets week after week, is immeasurable. Combine that with the stress of academic life here at Tufts and the result is more than most can handle.
Nonetheless, two young women who epitomize the term student-athlete are both senior members of the Tufts track and cross-country teams: Jenifer Shapiro and Iris Rave.
Shapiro, who hails from Scarborough, Maine and is an international relations major, has run in each of her 12 athletic seasons at Tufts. She was also a captain in each of her three sports: cross-country, indoor track, and outdoor track. Rave, a child development major and sociology minor, is originally from the Philadelphia area. She has spent 11 seasons as a Jumbo runner, missing only the spring campaign of her junior year while abroad in Israel, and was also a cross-country captain this fall.
"Collegiate runners really have to make a lot of sacrifices behind the scenes," women's cross-country and track coach Branwen Smith-King said. "They have to be committed to setting their priorities straight."
Both Shapiro and Rave have managed to rise to the challenge of succeeding on the track and in the classroom during their four years at Tufts. They have both been recognized for their dedication to the sport and to their studies, as each was named the recipient of a different student-athlete award at a recent ceremony. Shapiro was presented with the Alumni Association Award, while Rave received the Alex Elias Memorial Prize Scholarship. Both women credit Smith-King as being an integral part of their success at the college level.
"We've both been running competitively since seventh grade, which is quite a long time," Rave said. "It's been both physically and mentally draining, but the drive and the desire to be competitive have kept us going. Bran has also given all of us an incredible amount of academic support, to ensure that we are focused on our classes, too. And she is always ready to be there for us, no matter what."
Ironically enough, Shapiro, who specializes in distance races (800 and 1,500 meters), was originally recruited as a sprinter.
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"Before running cross-country at Tufts, I never thought I'd like the distance races as much as I do," Shapiro said.
Shapiro has developed into an incredibly versatile runner. In fact, during her career at Tufts, she has run every single race at least once in a meet, with the exception of the 10,000 meters. She has qualified for All-New Englands in several different events through the years, and was a member of the 4x800 relay team that set a new school record this past spring. Shapiro was also named co-MVP of the Tufts squad for the winter season of her senior year.
"Jen really found her niche with the track team, and her being named co-MVP for the indoor season shows just how much her peers think of her. She's done so much."
"Track and running have given me a way to channel my excess energy," Shapiro said. "I would not have enjoyed college a quarter as much as I did without track.
"A lot of people tell me that you have to be crazy to run competitively, and I think that is partially true. It takes a certain kind of person to play any varsity sport at the college level, but I think that something different and unique is brought out in everyone who runs track. We really share a unique bond. I know that I, personally, live in a track world."
After Tufts, Shapiro plans to work for a non-profit research organization in the area of international affairs. In no more than two years, she sees herself in graduate school for international business.
Rave, on the other hand, has always been a distance runner. She concentrated on the 1,000 and 1,500 meter events indoors, but outside she only ran the 1,500.
"The 1,500 is my favorite race," Rave said. "I set a goal for myself to qualify for ECACs in the 15 and I just kept running it until I did so."
In the last individual race of her career, at ECACs on May 8, Rave proceeded to set a personal record in the 1,500 (4:54.45), while finishing sixth in her heat and 18th overall.
"I feel extremely privileged to have been able to attend Tufts and take advantage of all of the opportunities here," Rave said. "Tufts has given me everything I wanted. And of course, track has been a big part of my experience here. All of the girls on the track team share a very unique bond: we're all passionate about running."
Shapiro echoed her teammate's feelings.
"Track has brought out the best in me as well as my teammates," Shapiro said. "The bonds we have with each other are something that I wouldn't trade for anything else. I'm happy just being with my track girls."
"Both Jen and Iris are not only quality athletes and students, but quality friends to each other and to me," Smith-King said. "I am truly indebted to their leadership and the strength of their characters, as they have set such a good example for the younger members of the team. I'm in denial. I cannot believe that they, or any of my other seniors, are actually leaving."
Neither Rave nor Shapiro plans on ending her running career anytime soon.
"Look out for us in the 2000 Boston Marathon," Shapiro said. "We decided we were going to run it together in 2000 during our sophomore year at Tufts."
