“As soon as you get on the line, you feel all of that pressure buildup,” commented Ruth Yapo, referencing her varsity sport. “I run and it’s just like peace.”

A sense of peace, she seemingly stumbled upon. Ruth Yapo was a lacrosse player, but her high school didn’t have a team. So the track coach persuaded her to try something new.

What You Need To Know

  • Ruth Yapo first started track because her school didn't have a lacrosse team. She fell in love with the sport which she describes as contemplative, competitive and one of the hardest things she's ever done

  • Yapo pushed hard to graduate early, even taking a class during her lunch hour, hoping that her mom would be able to see her graduate. Her mother passed in January, succumbing to a long-term illness

  • Yapo spends time volunteering with her brother's non-profit the Hood Organization. Giving back to the community any way she can

“He tried to convince me that track was competitive and it might be one of the hardest sports I would ever try, and he was right,” Yapo said.

Last fall, Yapo transferred to Pelham Preparatory Academy. When she reached out to the track captain. She found not only a spot on the team, but also, a family.

“I love track because being able to rely on my teammates to perform well on the track and off the track is something that I appreciate,” Yapo said.

It was just the support she needed after losing her father two years earlier. And watching her mother battle a terminal illness.

Through strength and determination, this high schooler hit the ground running—even taking a chemistry class during lunch, so she could get her diploma a year early.

“The decision to graduate early came because I wanted to cross the stage and my mom being there to see me do it,” Yapo said.

Her mom didn’t get to see her do it—she died from her long-term illness.

 

But Yapo says she knows her mom’s with her every time she hits the blocks.

“The day of my mom’s passing, January 6th, there was a meet that day. And then I heard the news, but that same day while the track meet was going on, I did show up and I was ready to run with my teammates,” she said.

In fact, the very next day, Yapo led her team to a 4x2 relay win and a third place finish at the Bronx Championships.

Despite the difficulties she’s faced, Yapo’s always ready to give back.

She volunteers with her brother’s nonprofit, the Hood Organization, delivering meals and food to those in need.

“That’s just my motivation,” Yapo commented. “To leave behind a legacy for myself and my mom and my father.”

A legacy they’d be proud of. Yapo says she’s ready for whatever the future may bring. Grateful for the sport she fell into that has so often carried her across the finish line.