VIDEO: Don't Blink! Whiz Kid Ranked Fastest Junior in California

Competing against the fastest students from 418 schools from 26 states at the nation’s largest track invitational, Woodside High junior Chris Waschura still managed to fly past the competition to win the 1600-meter race, setting an record.

With a time of 4:13 for the 1600-meter race, or roughly one mile, Waschura is ranked #1 in California and #2 in the nation amongst runners of his age, according to milesplit.com.

But Waschura is used to speed. He has set three school records, one in the distance medley, the 4x800 relay and the 1600-meter. He said the invitation to the Arcadia Invitational was a chance to be exposed to some of the nation’s elite runners.

“It was pretty amazing,” Waschura said. “It made the car ride home worth it, thinking of all the hard work I had put into this.”

Setting records requires a strategy that Waschura has perfected. He said the first lap is all about pacing, then he kicks it up a notch in third lap then gives his all in the final lap.

“From there it’s all hanging on,” Waschura said.

Or more like passing up the rest of the competition. Waschura finished more than a second ahead of the second place finisher.

“We’re just thrilled that he gets to do something he loves,” said his mother, Becky.

And when Waschura is away from the track, he can often be found in Woodside High’s $10,000 music studio, complete with state of the art equipment.

“Music is one of the greatest ways to cope with human emotions,” Waschura said. “It’s just awesome.”

Waschura said really enjoys his audio production class and was considering pursuing a career in the music industry.

Even with practice Monday through Friday, Becky Waschura said her son still maintains “really high grades.”

“He’s such an excellent student and we couldn’t be prouder,” Becky Waschura said. “We just do what we can to offload any extra work for him,” said Chris’ father, Tom.

Next up for Waschura? The Serra Top 7 Invitational in San Mateo this weekend.

“I’m just thinking about improvement,” Waschura said.