Kajol Karra '26: cross country

The starter shoots the pistol, and Kajol Karra ’26 is off. Less than 20 minutes later, she approaches the finish line of the 5k race. Legs aching and arms pumping, Karra sprints under and passes the arch, giving it everything she has left.

Growing up, Karra tried many different sports before joining the cross country team at PHS in her sophomore year, after moving from West Windsor. Role models like Olympian Parker Valby and her own teammates inspired Karra to stick with the sport. Inspired by her teammates' dedication, strong work ethic, and running abilities, she implements their strategies into her own training and races.

“I just liked the community that I was able to build with my teammates, and I thought it was pretty fun,” said Karra. “One of my teammates ... I race with a lot, so I feel like I'm able to learn from her and how she races as well.”

However, as a student athlete, balancing school work and after-school practices can be difficult. For Karra, a major skill she had to develop was time management, in addition to growing her athletic skills.

“I feel like that was a big thing because cross country is more time-consuming than track,” said Karra. “I get home later ... So being able to manage my schoolwork and tests with the time commitment of meets, where you're gone all day, [can be hard]”

In addition to time management, Kajol was able to learn how to find connections within the running community through what can be at times, an isolating sport.

“Running is pretty individual, but there's also team aspects, so how to contribute to that aspect,” Kajol said. “When you race, it's technically by yourself [but] knowing that you're not alone.”

Ever since she started on the team, cross country coach Jennifer Smolyn knew Karra had the potential to become one of the best runners on the team. Smolyn and the other cross country coaches worked with her to expose her to high level competition, to boost her skill and confidence.

“We knew when she got here that she was very, very talented,” said Smolyn. “Getting her to see just how talented she was, getting her to realize that, ‘oh, I should have some confidence in this,’ [or] ‘I'm a great runner.’”

Selected as one of the cross country captains this year, Karra has more responsibilities compared to before . In addition to becoming a bridge between her teammates and the coaches, she’s attentive to her teammates’ performance and the effort they put in through training.

“[It’s more] caring more about other people, having more responsibility for the other teammates, and what they do on the team and how they perform on a daily basis, not speed-wise, but how much they put into it,” said Karra.

Throughout the season and in past years, Karra has always been a supporting teammate, providing advice for the underclassmen and making sure no one is left behind. Last year, she led the team in winning their first ever state title, after clocking a time of 19:26 at the 5,000-meter course.

“She's very positive, and works really well to connect our teammates together and in races.” said teammate Grace Hegedus ’27. “She inspires me by just staying committed. I love how she was very new to the team when she started and new to the sport. ... And she grew so much, she stayed consistent [and] really worked very hard to get where she is right now.”

Leading into the season, Karra was the top Princeton girl at the Manhattan Invitation with a 2.5-mile time of 15:17.8 that she ran on October 11.

“She is just fearless. From the time the gun goes off, is somebody who is willing to just get out hot, like be fast from the gun, make passes when she needs to,” said Smolyn. “She is unafraid of competition and unafraid of challenge.”

Now as Karra finishes her last season at PHS, her skills, leadership, and personality will be greatly missed among her teammates and coaches.

“She's just a great training partner and during practice, at meets and even outside of practice, and it's just really fun to see,” said Hegedus. “She is my racing buddy [and] I don't think anyone will replace her in that way.”

While still going through the recruitment process, Karra looks forward to finishing up the season and making memories with her teammates and friends.

“The sport is pretty hard, and, a lot of times it's not as fun, but the people make it fun,” said Karra. “ I feel the relationships I've been able to build through the sport is what makes it [what it is] and I know they're gonna last forever.”