Bobbi Evers, contributor

First year Cross Country athlete Mohammed Bati has been breaking records relentlessly for the first three weeks of the season as he has been named Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Mens Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the third week in a row. Bati’s recent success in the beginning of the cross country season is bringing recognition to Augsburg’s athletics as well as the sport as a whole. 

Bati’s first season as an Augsburg Cross Country runner has featured some truly incredible accomplishments. In just his second event as an Auggie, Bati broke a school record in the 8000-meter distance race that had stood for 13 years. He finished the race at a time of 24:32.34, over 33 seconds faster than the previous record of 25:05.6 set in 2009. 

With an 8000-meter time of 25:18.5, Bati won the St. Olaf Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 17. With that time, he not only won the race, but beat the rest of the field by more than 20 seconds. As a student and a friend, I sat down with Mohammed Bati to chat about his recent success as a new athlete at Augsburg. 

When asked about the recent recognition of his accomplishments, Bati doesn’t take time to soak in the spotlight:  “I’m happy to get the opportunity, but at the same time I’m just beginning.” Bati started running at 9 years old, running with clubs before joining Augsburg’s Cross Country team this year. He expresses “I’m using this chance to work harder and get more successful.” Bati explains what sets him apart from other teammates is “hope. I believe with enough work I can accomplish anything.  This sometimes means I did workouts that other people say are crazy.” Bati takes as many opportunities as possible to work harder as he trains with his team and on his own, running around 70-75 miles every week. He shares, “I’m always trying to get extra work in. I do marathons outside of Cross Country to stay in shape,” he shares. While he is motivated, driven and proactive, he doesn’t strive for the recognition but to find new opportunities to improve himself and his team. 

As Mohammed Bati continues to challenge himself and hopefully break more records, he does not take time to dwell on his accomplishments but to reflect: “I don’t feel happy about breaking records. I do not run to win. I feel like I need to do more and work harder.” His hard work so far this season has brought him plenty of accolades already, only a few weeks into his collegiate career. If he keeps it up, more honors might be on their way, both in this season and beyond.