Katie Roden, from Plattsburgh, N.Y., is a fifth-year architecture major and senior captain of the cross-country team. Roden still has athletic eligibility, even though this is her fifth year at the school, because she did not run for the team in some of her previous four years.

Roden was a swimmer throughout most of her years in high school, and only started running competitively during her senior year. It was while running for her high school that she realized that she really enjoyed the competition and pushing herself in races.

Roden has truly excelled as a runner: She currently holds the RPI record in the 1,500m with a time of 4:48.04, a mark she set in 1999. Roden was also part of the distance medley relay team that set the school record in 1999. Although she barely qualified for the Indoor Track Nationals in 2000, Roden went to them and shined as an athlete. During nationals, Roden became an All-American for finishing sixth with a time of 17:42 in the 5,000-meter run. Roden also went to the Outdoor Track Nationals that year for the 10,000-meter race, along with nationals for cross country in Washington during the fall of 2000, finishing 70th out of 200 runners.

Roden described this year’s cross country team as one of the best she has been a part of during her years at RPI. The team has spent a lot of time together outside of training, demonstrating a high level of unity. So far this year the team has excelled in competition, recently taking first place in the "Tri-Geek" meet against MIT and WPI. She expects the team to make it to national-level competition this year.

While running the 5,000m or the 10,000m, Roden does a lot of different things to keep her mind focused on the race. While running, "I think about catching up to the person in front of me. I tell myself to keep my pace no matter how the other runners are running," she said.

During her free time, Roden enjoys reading books from many genres. Roden also enjoys skiing and hiking—she likes to spend time outside enjoying the atmosphere. "I consider myself an active person—I have to keep moving or else I go crazy," she said. Roden also likes spending time around people—going out with friends, laughing, and making others feel happy.

Although Roden suffers from asthma, she still pushes herself during competition. Sometimes she finds it difficult to breathe, especially during the spring, but she still continues with what she has come to passionately love—running.

Roden does not plan to compete in any form of organized track and field after completing her time at RPI; her only running goal at that point will be to complete her dream of participating in a marathon. "I don’t care which one it is, I just want to run in a couple (marathons) and see how things go," she says.

Many people have a passion that pushes them and carries them through the obstacles in their lives. For Katie Roden, this passion is running. She sees running as an activity that not only keeps her stress-free, but also has introduced her to many people from different backgrounds, people who have become her friends. Because she has running in her life, Roden has learned that she has no reason to fear any future endeavors she encounters—she knows that she’ll have what it takes to carry her through anything.