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Name: Lila Bensky
School: Ladue High School
Q:What was your most memorable race/moment?
A: My most memorable moment was having our 4x8 qualify for state this year for the first time since 2008. I actually didn't even run on the relay, but watching this achieve something that seemed out of reach at the beginning of the season was such a rewarding experience.
Q: What was the funniest thing that happened during your running career?
A: Probably when one of our freshman (who will go unnamed) won her first ever 1600 and then kept running for another 50 meters because she thought that she had another lap left. It was hilarious and we will never let her live it down.
Q: Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
A: Definitely Mollie Rogan. Our Saturday morning long runs were always a battle. (Jk Mols love you!)
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Q: What was your greatest accomplishment?
A: It has to be claiming my first state title this year in the 1600. I worked so hard these past 4 years and winning state was the ultimate way to cap off my career at Ladue.
Q: If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
A: There's not much I would change, because even the bad races or seasons made me a better runner. But if I had to change something I think it would be my outlook on running during my junior year. I had the idea that the only way to succeed was to win, and it negatively effected my mental state and definitely messed with my running performance.
Q: What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
A: Like I said before, my mental state during my junior year really took a toll on my running, and I had to learn that there is more to the sport than medals and PRs. I spent the time in between my junior and senior track season rebuilding my love for running, without all of the superficial stuff, and it made my senior season that much more enjoyable.
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Q: What will you miss the most?
A: I will miss the entire Ladue cross country and track family. Throughout the years I have made so many friendships that I never would have made otherwise. I would love to give a special shoutout to the distance squad, who roasted me every practice but were my biggest supporters and always picked me up when I was down.
Q: What advice would you give to younger athletes?
A: Don't lose the part of you that enjoys running for fun. Try not to get so involved in PRs and rankings and medals and what not. Just truly enjoy the sport of running and the feeling of accomplishment, and the friendships you will make along the way. You'll remember those things much better than a first place finish at a random invitational.
Q: What kind of an impact has your coach had on you and your team?
A: I have been lucky enough to have a group of coaches throughout my four years that have contributed so much to our success. Each coach has provided me and my team with unwavering support, advice, and wisdom and I know I couldn't have made it without them.
Q: What are your college plans?
A: I will be running cross country and track for Elon University, and I plan to major in psychology, possibly on a pre law track.
Q: Who would you like to say 'thank you' to?
A: I genuinely could go on for pages about who to thank, but I'll try to keep it short. First off, my slew of coaches that have been so impactful these past 4 years. Coach Strayhorn, thank you for being a father figure and always looking out for me. Coach Spencer, thank you for always being honest with me and convincing me that I am in fact a 2 miler. Coach Hill, thank you for calling me before all of my races and keeping me calm when I was a freshman and scared of everything. Coach Sebben, thank you for sharing your never ending wisdom and stories, while providing us with amazing coaching and leading us to success. Coach Buckvar and Harder, thank you for putting your all into making our program the absolute best it could be and always supporting me in every race I ran. Also, I of course would love to thank my teammates for being so loving and supportive these last 4 years, and my family for pretending like they ever had a clue what was going on. I am going to miss the Ladue cross country and track programs more than anything next year.