Jillian Candelino Felt “Powerful” During Cross Country Season
As schools continue to commit on taking proper precautions to stay clear and safe from COVID-19, The Bolles School Cross-Country sophomore runner, Jillian Candelino, came to be a great phenom in Jacksonville high school distance running.
“Cross-Country has added a lot of restrictions during this season but in a way made it better,” said Candelino. “Because of quarantine, track season ended early, so we were actually able to start summer training early. This had made me far ahead which is the reason why I did really good this season because I had a lot of training under my belt.”
Candelino had an impressive personal record (PR) this past cross-country season with a time of 18:19.57 in the 5K. “Despite the virus, I was able to push through it and come out on the top,” she remarks.
During the Class 2A state cross-country championship, Candelino placed second overall with the time of 18:42.
“States every year is a really good course for me to run on,” she said. “I just really enjoy running it and I feel it makes me better especially the crowd, [they] hype it all up which makes it much more fun.”
Additionally, The Bolles girls cross-country team won and broke the record of the lowest points in the state cross-country championship at the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 2A at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. Candelino described the experience as a “major accomplishment” for her and her team this season and describes running as liberating, fearless, and powerful.
Candelino has set some astonishing goals for herself as she gets ready to adventure on into her junior year of high school. She plans to break her PR again next season along with becoming a leader on the team, “I encourage my team to just run, bring peace, and [have] fun.”
Read the rest of her story in the Northeast Florida Spring 2021 magazine below.
