Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Steve Benedict, and running is my greatest passion.  Currently, I am working with a sprinting coach that has been training world class athletes for many years in track and field.  I compete in the 100m and 200m dashes, and have my goal set for the next Olympics. I now look for support as I embark on an incredibly competitive, yet rewarding journey.  

For as long as I can remember I have always loved to run, not knowing that this sport would fuel my strive for greatness. Now, in hindsight, I realize that running in the playground Olympics at my local summer camp was what sparked my inner passion to move faster than anyone who would run against me.  
As I came to my high school years I didn’t even have an interest to try out for the team but with a little persuasion from my mother and the track coach I made the attempt.  Needless to say, I excelled and began to find that this was the sport closest to my core. In college, I entered a whole realm of track and field that was completely unnerving and unfamiliar to me.  The training seemed to be so repetitive and the coaching method didn't seem to coincide with the essence of the sport that I had grown to love. Confused, and physically injured, I took a year off to reassess my goals and values, and to be realistic as to whether there was a future for me in this sport. After some serious soul searching, I came back the following year stronger and more focused, qualifying for my college national meet where I placed fourth.

The true test of my inner strength as an athlete and a person came to me the year of 2004, when my mother, the motivational force in my pursuit of this sport, was diagnosed with the early stages of bone marrow cancer.  As the year went on I watched and stood by her side as her body broke down after each surgery totaling a number of eight within one year.  Knowing her as a strong and dedicated school teacher,  watching her struggle in pain left me feeling helpless and weak in her fight.  In February of 2005 the fight ended, but not before I made two promises to her. First, making the dean’s list for the upcoming semester, second, to compete in the next Olympic games.

I believe wholeheartedly that I am an athlete worth sponsoring not only based on my athletic gifts but also by the person I am.  The mindset that I take on to the track carries over into every aspect of my life making me determined and focused on success.  Not only is this