Walking into the club fair as a freshman, sophomore Christine Politte had no idea what she was getting herself into. When she walked out, she was signed up to run a half marathon with Students on the Go.

After Politte started running with Students on the Go, she quickly fell in love with the sport.

“I feel like running makes me a better person,” Politte said. “Not only does it make me physically fit, but there’s a big mental component of learning to persist and meet your goals.”

Politte joined cross country team last fall after completing the half marathon in April of 2013. Even though Students on the Go and cross country are very different, Politte says that both of the programs benefit from each other.

“I think cross country and Students on the Go each help me with the other one,” Politte said. “Cross country has 5k races, which are much shorter than a half marathon, but there are still longer practice runs, so Students on the Go is getting me in shape for that. Cross country keeps me in shape during the summer and fall, while Students on the Go does the same in winter and spring.”

Besides the difference in distance, there is also a difference in the pace, the people, and the courses.

“Since they are completely different in distances and level of competition, it changes things up for me and keeps running fun and interesting all year,” she said.

But whether Politte is training for the half marathon or running a 5k with cross country, her running buddy, Jacelynn Allen, is always with her.

“Jacelynn and I stuck together until the end [of the half marathon] and crossed the finish line at the same time,” Politte said. “And the race people put medals around our necks and it just felt unreal.”

Allen’s favorite thing about Politte is her attitude.

“I like how she’s always positive.”

Allen isn’t the only one who is drawn to Politte’s positivity. Mr. Ashley, who sponsors Students on the Go, thinks Politte is very dedicated and committed to the program.

“She enjoys it. She wants to be successful and wants the whole team to be successful.”

Her attendance and commitment is “awesome, 100%,” according to Ashley.

Politte is very excited to run her second half marathon in April.

“My favorite thing about Students on the Go is watching everyone grow, especially the new runners or the people who have lots of trouble,” Politte said. “It’s so cool to see them become better runners and fall in love with running the way I have.”