Halfway to the finish line, the panting runner begins to decelerate. The hot sun sets his head ablaze as raindrops of sweat dot his exhausted body. He wants to pause or even stop entirely, but, glancing to his left, he notices his equally exhausted teammate. Side by side, the two motivate each other to run the final mile.

Though they run individually, runners at the high school work as a team, in and out of the race, to attain the greatest possible results.

Junior Ben Kasen, a cross country athlete who runs indoor track and outdoor track, has been instrumental in his team’s success through his skill, dedication and positive attitude. He began competitive running as a freshman and has continued for the past three years. The team won the Bay State Conference cross country championship in October, and Kasen will be the captain of the boys varsity cross country team next year.

Throughout his running career, Kasen has experienced two debilitating injuries: a stress fracture on his leg and a broken arm. Despite the adversity these injuries presented, Kasen said his perseverance and hard-working mindset allowed him to flourish in the following seasons.

“Coming into cross country last year, I started the season pretty slow and I experienced a lot of doubt,” Kasen said. “But I worked hard and put my all in. You’ve got to go back every day regardless of how the previous day went.”

Junior Pablo Meyers has run with Kasen since his sophomore year. Meyers said Kasen never let his injuries impede his success.

“The broken arm was a major setback that he had to face, but he didn’t let that stop him at all,” Meyers said. “He didn’t waste any time getting back to his original spot on the top seven and working his way up from there. Ever since he’s been a threat to every other team in the state and a huge asset to our team.”

Junior Argi Protopapadakis, another one of Kasen’s teammates, has known Kasen since fourth grade and has run on the same cross country, indoor and outdoor track teams as him since freshman year. Protopapadakis said Kasen’s positive mindset pushed him to overcome challenges of his own.

“Recently, I got sick and had to miss a few races. I was talking to Ben about it, and he helped me feel better, explaining to me, ‘You have this in you,’ and, ‘You’re gonna earn back your spot in no time,’” Protopapadakis said. “It’s hard to speak out like that, even to your close teammates and friends. It’s not something you see very often.”

Kasen attributed his drive and “glass half full” mindset to the principles his parents instilled in him since childhood.

“[My mindset] all boils down to the values that my parents gave to me. Values of perseverance, hard work and working until you’re proud because nothing in life is really worth it if you’re not proud of it,” Kasen said.

Kasen also credited his teammates for motivating him to succeed. He said his teammates make him feel like he isn’t just running for himself; he’s running for everyone involved. Protopapadakis said it’s reciprocal: Kasen motivates his whole team, which was the primary reason behind his election to be cross country captain next year.

“I would say Ben is definitely a mentor for his younger teammates,” Protopapadakis said. “He pushes everyone really hard, and he’s able to make relationships with everyone on the team, no matter their skill level.”

Meyers said Kasen’s constant uplifting of his fellow teammates has motivated them and increased their eagerness to improve and excel.

“He’s a super supportive kid. You always see him cheering, yelling his heart out for anybody wearing the Brookline shirt. It really brings everyone else up and helps us get faster as a team in general,” Meyers said.

Kasen said that entering the cross country season last fall, his team was aware of their potential to win at the Bay State Conference. With this goal in sight, their coach implemented more hard training instead of focusing on being the fastest in every race, which was ultimately a decisive factor in their win. Kasen said being aware of long-term goals is important in cross country and track.

“In freshman year, I would just try to run as fast as I could for the day, but now I’m able to see longer goals,” Kasen said. “You have to build up, and you have to make sure that you’re doing well in the long run.”

With the long term in mind, Kasen’s goals are to win another championship, decrease his track individual times, and run for a team in college. He is determined to apply the utmost effort to achieve these goals.

“I’m gonna come back every day, work as hard as I can, and make sure that I’m running to enjoy myself and feeling proud of what I’m doing,” Kasen said. “I know I have it in me.”