Vista Ridge runner Emma Wade dazzles not just on the track, but in the kitchen, too

All about Emma: Enjoying cooking, scuba diving, puzzles

Tell something about you that most people don't know.

I have a scuba diving license. We go to different beaches to scuba. One time we went scuba diving in an aquarium in Denver.

What has been your favorite vacation?

My favorite trip was when my family and I visited an orphanage in Honduras last summer. We got to play with the girls for a couple days and saw the beaches. Playing with the girls was a good feeling. Now we donate to the orphanage every month.

When you're running on your own, what do you think about?

I usually play music from my playlist and just zone out. I like to play upbeat music because it makes the time go faster.

Outside of running, what's your favorite thing to do?

I like to go to the mall with friends and we'll shop a lot. At home I like to do puzzles and cook. I'll cook a meal for my family. I recently did pesto pasta with bruschetta.

Born to run, Emma followed her parents' footsteps

What has been your favorite high school track memory?

In 2022 I went with members of our high school team to Broken Bow, Okla., for a summer camp. It was a cool experience. It was just our top runners, and we went in vans and stayed in houses.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?

I would like to go to college and hopefully run there, too. I'd want to major in something in the medical field. That's my dream right now. I'd like to go somewhere out of state because the weather here is something else.

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How did you get started running competitively?

My parents ran in college. You could say I was born into it. They put me in kids meets when I was young and I loved it. I was on a club team and we traveled a lot.

Do you have any goals for the state track meet next month?

I'm hoping to medal in one of my events. I figure if I set a (personal record), the medal will follow me.

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Dream dinner: Expect some paparazzi at this meal

If you could have dinner with any four people in the history of the world, who would they be?

I'd probably go with Albert Einstein, Simone Biles, Drake and then maybe LeBron James.

What do you think Simone Biles and Einstein would talk about?

I'd say Simone Biles would talk to him about modern-day living and how she lives a celebrity life. She's an inspiration to a lot of people. Albert would talk about what it was like living during his time. I'm pretty certain they didn't have paparazzi back then.

— Rick Cantu

Faces off the field interviews

Other Austin-area track and field athletes we've interviewed: Elgins' Kailyn Cook, Dripping Springs' Lucy Fredenburg

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Faces off the field: Vista Ridge distance runner Emma Wade