It was spring break in many school districts last week, but Pine Bush’s Jaelin Edwards was not taking a break.

Edwards, a Bushmen distance runner, has been running for five years for Pine Bush, and he finished fifth last week in the 3,200-meter run during an invitational at Wallkill.

“I fell in love with distance,” he said. “I wanted to be a sprinter, but my coach helped me stay focused to go after distance running.”

Edwards runs the 3,200, 1,600, 800, 400-meter individual events, and the 3,200 and 1,600 relays. He prefers the 800 and 3,200-meters, and he enjoys the latter for his ability to control the flow of his race.

Edwards runs cross-country in the fall and on the winter indoor team. He qualified for the state meet this winter, and he finished 18th in the 3,200-meter run.

He has never been to the state outdoor meet in the spring, and that’s one of his final wishes before the season ends and he graduates this June from Pine Bush.

Edwards wants to run in college and study communications. He said he has worked hard during the last five years with his workouts to improve his results during meets.

And he is grateful to his team for helping to him to become a strong distance runner. That passion has allowed him to help his team.

“This team is great. For five years, they have really supported me,” he said.

“Even when I have failed, they have been there for me at my worst and even at my best. So I love these guys.”