Lapeer runner Jeremy Williams looking to reach his further potential at Harvard
LAPEER, Mich. — Jeremy Williams, 18, of Lapeer High School, will continue to live his academic and athletic dreams after graduation. After five years of Track and Field and seven years of Cross Country, Jeremy will continue running for Harvard University while studying Computer Science. His main goal of his athletic career has been to reach his full genetic potential by maximizing what he can do in the sport. It hasn’t been without challenges though. Staying healthy is a big challenge within any sport, and whenever Jeremy is flagged with an injury he does his best to recover correctly and not push too hard during training.
Recovering correctly allows for years of physical fitness, which goes hand in hand with the best advice he’s ever received, “Plan long term, live in the present.” What he loves about Track and Cross Country is the fact that you get out of it what you put into it, and it will always work that way with distance running especially–and Jeremy–life. Some athletes have specific rituals they do before the big game or event. Jeremy doesn’t really consider it much of a ritual but he does tend to eat the same foods and always does a shakeout run the morning of race day. Outside of competing, Jeremy loves to take advantage of a little down time and watch movies, do something creative, but whatever it is, he prefers to do it with friends.
Being a part of a team has many lessons–how to be a leader, teamwork, how to follow directions and rules, etc–but the biggest thing he has taken away over the years has been that everyone has a life just as complex as your own. Some of the best advice Jeremy has ever received from a coach or mentor is to visualize the race the night before, and the hard part is already done. With the success Jeremy has had, it hasn’t come with some mistakes–that’s how we learn right? He states he’s made countless mistakes while competing, and with distance running the best way to overcome it is learning from it and not making the same mistake again. Jeremy has put forth a lot of effort to be where he is at and it’s just the beginning. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and would like to tell you, “If you’ve ever dreamed about improving your life, there’s no better time to do it than right now!”
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
