A top runner on both the cross country and track teams, freshman Rayut Weiser-Rosenbaum is a seasoned member of the JDS running program. Racing for the Lions since sixth grade, after joining with only some experience, her times have improved significantly. During her eighth-grade season, Rayut became JDS’ second fastest runner for both the high school and middle school girls at the Maryland Private School State Championship for cross country, with a time of 21:59 for the 5K race, on Nov. 6, 2024.
Rayut began running during the COVID-19 pandemic with her father, Ted Rosenbaum, and gained experience through joining a local Girls on the Run team, an after-school program which helps elementary school-aged girls build confidence and promote healthy habits. Although she has been running for the Lions since sixth grade, Rayut is participating in all three running seasons for the first time this year: cross country, winter track and spring track.
“I really just enjoy running and the process of training,” Rayut said. “At first it was much more about racing and improving for racing, but I would say now I have much more of an appreciation for running itself and just the daily training.”
Although Rayut and Ted run together less frequently
now, her father played a large role in encouraging her to start running, according to Rayut. Seeing him run inspired Rayut to ask him to join, which ultimately sparked her love for the sport.
Through running, Ted hopes his daughter will learn important skills that she can apply both to running and in life.
“I think distance running is very much about persevering and continuing, even when there’s some pain and it feels challenging,” Ted said. “I think that’s a really important life lesson.”
Jason Belinkie, head coach of the cross country team and assistant coach of the outdoor track and field team, has coached Rayut since the beginning of her JDS running career.
As a runner who specializes in long-distances, Rayut trains with workouts aimed at improving her fitness to run longer races. This includes running 400 meter repetitions at different paces or running at shorter distances, such as 100 or 200 meters, to improve speed.
“The future is very bright for Rayut,” Belinkie said. “She’s got a lot of talent and a lot of dedication and a lot of passion and when you have those three things, you’re going to go really far in the sport. The most important thing is that you enjoy and you have fun running and Rayut has always seemed to do that.”
Rayut prefers the scenic trails and hills in cross-country to running around the track during the spring and winter seasons. However, both settings allow her to ponder her own thoughts and appreciate the journey.
Rayut’s times did not improve overnight, even though she is now a top athlete on her team. On April 24, in a meet against Berman Hebrew Academy, she ran a personal best and a winning time in the 3200-meter race, finishing with a time of 13:32.
“People hear how much running I do now or my times, and they’re like, ‘whoa, that’s crazy,’” Rayut said. “But when I started off running, I wasn’t particularly fast or doing that many miles. It’s just important to ease into it and see progress over a long course of time.”
