Ryan Podnar, a junior studying international relations, was one of six members of the Carnegie Mellon men’s cross country team named to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic team. In addition to his academic workload, Podnar runs 80 miles a week to train for weekend races in the 5000 and 8000 meter events.
Podnar says there are two benefits of running in college:
First, there is the experience of running on a team. The mental health benefits of staying active are “nice,” and the team environment that comes with it is “really nice,” said Podnar, who lives with three other teammates. Podnar mentioned that “especially when [he] came here as a freshman,” the team provided a built-in community that exists outside of athletic activities.
Then, there is the competitive aspect of college sports, which Podnar said is why he decided to continue running collegiately. His explanation was simple: He “just wants to go out and see how good I can be.”
Competing has also generated memorable experiences at track or cross country meets. At Boston University’s recent David Hemery Valentine Invite, Podnar not only set his personal best 5000 meter time of 14:23, he also raced shortly after watching Grant Fisher break the 5000 meter world record on the same track. “That was a really cool environment to be in.”
Podnar also has a passion for national security and defense policy, which he plans to pursue after college. In high school Podnar “always enjoyed what we learned in that sphere,” and continues to “love [his] classes here.” Do professors accommodate sports obligations? “I’ve never had a problem,” Podnar said, citing that professors are “usually pretty understanding” when team activities encroach on class time.
On the other hand, athletics staff are also willing to work around academic life. Podnar said that when freshmen arrive, coach Tim Connelly emphasizes “your first priority is school. Then your second one has to be running. But your first one is always school.” When the team needs to travel for a meet, Connelly will proctor exams that team members are missing. Some run scheduling is also left up to athletes so that they can build their own routines.
The combination tends to eliminate free time outside of classwork and the team: “The two things I two are I run, and then I do schoolwork. I don’t have a lot of other time… most of my day is spent doing either of those things.”
But “you can get both of them done — I haven’t found that it’s been overly difficult in my major to get the work done with the extra practice schedule”
Finally, a second event Podnar highlighted — the Nov. 2024 NCAA national championships in Indiana. In the 8000 meter race, Podnar placed 25th out of a field of 294 runners and earned All-American honors with a time of 24:33. Along with watching and racing against schools from the entire country, Podnar described the race — his personal 8000 meter best — as “a very good culmination of accomplishment.”
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