ELSIK’S BISSINATT ABDELASIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ON THE RUN.
Her family of eight are refugees from the Sudan, where they fled from the war-torn African country to the United States in 2017.
A family friend at her church got her into running and the rest is history.
“Running just relaxes me when I’m stressed,” she said. “It makes me forget about things like school and other things going on in my life.”
Last season, Abdelasis had a breakout season, finishing third in the District 23-6A meet.
“I told her that the Top 20 runners at Regionals would advance to State,” coach Jackie Kemp said. “She took off and I saw her after the first mile… she was in the Top 20. Then mile two… still in the Top 20. She just decided after her sophomore year that she was going to be a distance runner and she just flipped the switch. She is a big, strong girl with determination. That can take you a long way.”
She finished 17th at Regionals and reached her goal of advancing to State.
“My personal best was 19.50 and I’m working to go under 18 minutes,” she said. “I’ve turned into a leader on this team. Everyone sort of looks up to me because they see the hard work I put in.”
When she isn’t running or doing school work, the junior helps take care of her younger siblings, enjoys watching K (Korean)-Dramas and plays volleyball and soccer with her brothers.
“There is never any quiet time at my house,” she laughed. “It’s always busy and family is always coming and going. I think I’m a natural care-giver having grown up with such a big family. That is pushing me into nursing as a future career. It makes me happy to help people.”