CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Quin Johnson is not your typical cross country runner. The TAMUCC senior from Arizona runs barefoot. No shoes, no problem. "I love running barefoot because I feel like super light and free like there is nothing holding me back and nothing on my feet," said Johnson.
She is a key member of the TAMUCC cross country Southland Conference championship team. Johnson and her teammates are preparing to run at the NCAA South Central Regional Friday in Waco. It is a course mostly made up of grass, but for Johnson you never know what she might step on. "It's kind of scary sometimes because I get a little nervous," said Johnson. "If I know what the course is going to be like I might get a a bit cautious but once I get to the starting line the adrenaline gets going and I don't think about my feet anymore, I'm just in a zone."
The zone will last a little over three and a half miles . Not an easy task for any cross country runner but for Jasmine Perez, a 2019 Bishop graduate, she says it's all psychological. "I keep telling myself yes you can feel pain but everyone is feeling pain too and you have to go even when you don't want to," said Perez. "Honestly when I'm running, I sing songs or in a big race I am thinking about that next runner I am going to pass,"
The Islanders have won six Southland Conference women's cross country titles. We wish them the very best of luck at regionals.
