Benjamin Connor’s Motivation to Run

Penn Cross Country athlete Ben Connor’s path to being a runner could be described as a rocky road. He often refers to his journey as being different from others.

Connor wasn’t always a runner, in fact he had several different interests other than cross country and track and field. His first passion was for the sport of basketball.

He grew up playing basketball his whole life, but in middle school when it came time to tryout, he didn’t make the team. He says the cut left him feeling defeated, but he decided to treat it as a new beginning.

“Even though basketball didn’t work out, falling down and getting back up helped me grow as a person,” Connor said.

Connor decided to try running for sport, and he says the rest is history. His current teammate Ayann Ahmed says Connor has a great work ethic and mindset when it comes to distance running.

“Ben is an amazing athlete with an even better mindset,“ Ahmed said. “I have seen a lot of improvement in his performance and his work effort and I enjoy being his teammate and helping him get better everyday”.

Connor says it’s important for all athletes to never doubt themselves,  “Stay true to yourself and aim for the highest level”.