His name might not be well known yet, but if it’s up to him, Joseph Perazzo will one day grace the track at the Olympic level.

“I used to race my friends, and I was really talented at it. I used to beat them all. So my parents signed me up for track,” Perazzo remembers.

What You Need To Know

  • Joseph Perazzo has been running since he was a kid, beating his friends in school yard races. In high school, he was excited to once again catch his friends and let the competitive spirit drive him

  • Perazzo holds multiple school records, a PSAL record, and cross country records for the courses across all five boroughs

  • This track star hopes to make it to the Olympics one day but is focused on the next step. Setting goals that he can continue to cross of the list

Although Perazzo left the sport for a time, he joined the Susan Wagner track team freshman year, ready to prove himself.

“That’s what really fueled me. I saw people I used to race who were now better than me and I had to catch them,” Perazzo said.

That tough competition only fueled Perazzo. He set his goals high and used the strength of the team to motivate him every step of the way.

“Even in the beginning, it was like ‘oh, I want to get that one day’ and a lot of people try but don’t get there,” Perazzo said. “So I’m lucky to have the coaching to get me there, the talent to do it, everything. You know, it takes a lot of things to get that far.”

Now this track star is cruising past his opponents. He holds multiple school records, including the 15 hundred and the mile. He also holds the record for all five cross country courses.

“When I get that goal, I set a new goal for myself,” Perazzo said. “That’s what it’s about. I like to push myself as far as I can go.”

This year he broke nine minutes in the two-mile race, becoming the first student to do so in both PSAL AND Staten Island history, accomplishing yet another one of his goals.

“When I was a freshman, I had some great runners who I looked up to,” Perazzo said. “They inspired me and kind of taught me what it takes to be great.”

Following in the Wagner track legacy, Perazzo hopes he too will inspire the next generation to give it their all.

“And it’s a thing that gets passed down and I hope to show that to under classmen now who will pick up on me and then look back at me and say, ‘I want to be like him’ and work towards it. That’s what it takes,” Perazzo said.

Joseph Perazzo will be stepping up to the line at the University of Florida next fall with new goals and Olympic dreams in mind, while focusing on every stride.