Cross country star Phoebe Benun makes Samo history

David Hunzicker / Contributor

Phoebe Benun (’25) in the lead at Bay League Finals, where she was crowned champion for the second year in a row.

Phoebe Benun (’25), the top runner on the Girls’ Varsity Cross Country team, broke multiple Samo records this season. She placed 11th out of 135 racers in the Foot Locker Women’s Championship and 20th of over 170 racers in the Division I CIF State Championship this year.

After playing soccer at Samo during her freshman year, Benun decided to join the track and field team through encouragement from friends and family. After the great experience she had on the track, Benun stayed with the team over the summer and joined cross country in the fall, which is now her favorite sport. 

“I was reluctant because I wanted to focus on soccer but I eventually decided to try it for one season,” Benun said. “I soon decided to continue on to the cross country season and I realized that I enjoyed it even more than track. Last year I ended up competing in cross country, soccer, and track for Samo but I am now focusing solely on running!” 

Benun’s inspiration comes from her mom, who has been running since being on her own track and cross country teams in high school. 

“She was one of the first people to teach me about the joy of running and is one of the main reasons that I began running in the first place,” said Benun.

Last year, Benun ran Samo girls’ third-fastest three-mile time at 18:04 during the Cool Breeze meet despite it only being her first year on the team. This year, Phoebe has continuously broken her records, and her fastest time is currently 16:45 for three miles during the 2023 CIF-SS Finals. 

“I put in a lot of work this summer to prepare for the cross-country season and it really paid off,” Benun said. “It’s been a tough season with a lot of highs and lows but I’ve learned so much since I started racing and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.”

One of her favorite runs this year was the Manhattan Invitational during the varsity girls’ and boys’ trip to New York, where she placed 6th out of 100 racers.

“I do not enjoy running in the heat and this race was cold, muddy, and in the middle of a rainstorm,” Benun said. “I would consider these peak running conditions and I am excited to race on the East Coast someday again.”

Benun plans to continue running in college and wants to try marathons, going above and beyond to push herself further to continue racing. 
“I would advise others to look for something that they are passionate about in life and stick with it,” Benun said. “There will be difficult times but it is a different kind of joy to persevere through the struggle and look back on what you have accomplished.”

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