Central Arizona College does not kid around when it comes to its athletic department. Every semester, there is an influx of athletes from near and far to compete for our school. CAC coaches can spot athletes in an instant, and many arrive on campus from hundreds of miles away; some of these athletes come farther than others, like in the case of many of the track team runners; this is because recruitment often expands beyond our US borders to overseas. Two runners who have made a really long journey are Kimberly Golding and Marleena Eubanks and here is a closer look at the two out-of-country track stars — running for our track team straight from Jamaica, Mon!

How old were you when you started running?

Marleena Eubanks 11 running for school- the 400m and 800m

Kimberly Golding 12 running for school – 100 and 200 meter, 4 by 1

What particular events do you participate in? Which is your favorite?

ME: 4×400 and 4x800m

KG: 100 m hurdle and long jump

Who is your favorite famous athlete?

ME: Veronica Campbell of Jamaica

KG: Sally Pearson of Australia and Nickesha Wilson of Jamaica

Was it weird to adjust to running in the AZ heat?

ME: “I have only trained in the morning so far, but I KNOW it’s going to be rough”

KG: “It was really hard to breath! The air is so dry. It was like running through an oven.”

Do you have to keep a specific diet during season?

ME: “Back home I take vitamin pills and eat organic food, but here it is hard to eat a strict diet because of the cafeteria food.”

KG:“Back home I eat healthy organic food as well as vitamin C and Iron pills with a lot of blended fruit juice. Since I have come here, my diet has involuntarily changed to processed foods because I have no choice but to eat from the cafeteria.”

What goals would you like to achieve here?

ME: “I want to break my PR in the 800 m; I am at 2:05 right now and I want to run it in 2:00 flat”

KG: “ To make it to one of the top universities and run for them while furthering my academic career”

What are you studying here? Scholarship? Are they related to athletics?

ME: “To earn my degree in General studies; possibly pursuing a career in nursing in the future.”

This is Marleena’s first semester here and she is on full scholarship for the next two years.

KG: “ I am studying Liberal Arts. Eventually I want to be a coach and a professional athlete.”

This is Kim’s fourth and final semester, with a whopping load of 23 credits, she is currently looking to Transfer to the University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska, or Texas Christian University amongst othersd.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0].appendChild(s);