As track season approaches, runners take their marks to anticipate their individual events.

“It’s all about the running,” senior Pedro Morataya said.

The Birmingham Community Charter High School’s track team prepares for the upcoming season, which starts Feb. 27, through their rigorous workout sessions.

“The coaches train us hard everyday so we are able to run any distances for the track meets,” senior Eric Flowers said.

From their long runs around the valley to fast paced workouts such as sprints and strength conditioning around the field, training for track requires different types of exercises.

Although it is the first year for junior Janay Lewis, she is an expert in the sport as she has been participating for 13 years. Seniors Morataya and Flowers’s experience in their previous sports – Morataya in cross country and Flowers in football – will helps them during the track and field season.

“It’s a lot different from what I’m used to but with training, I’ll be ready for the season,” Morataya said.

The athletes are familiar with their running endurance but the sport demands a strenuous amount of strength and agility that they are able to improve through their workouts.

“I dedicate and devote my time in track… just so I can get the speed and the leg workouts to prepare for the season,” Lewis said.

While they all play for the same sport, each athlete focuses on different events. Lewis participates in 100m, 200m and 4x100m, Morataya in shot put while Flowers hopes to participate in hurdles, shot put and high jump.

Each event requires different sorts of race, equipment and time intervals.

“The ultimate goal is to go to state,” Flowers said.