Finishing first on his team at the MHSAA Division 1 State Final with a 5K personal record of 15:33, Plymouth senior cross country and track and field runner Anirudh Krishnan is making a much bigger impact off the trail than on it. In August of 2020, Krishnan founded his non-profit, AK Friendship, helping those with mental disabilities create lasting friendships and memories together. Krishnan stays busy through practicing extensively for cross country and track and field, running a local non-profit, training in taekwondo as a black belt and taking up pencil sketching in his free time. 

The star runner says, ” Just keep going [no matter the struggles]”. The Perspective sat down with Krishnan to talk about his athletic career and extracurriculars that have gifted him so much success.

Lucas Gentilia: What has been your favorite moment from this season? Whether that was with your teammates or outside of the sport? 

Anirudh Krishnan: Just the pasta parties, [they’re] great team bonding and I think they were awesome. Another one was states. It was just awesome to end my senior year, not only for me, but for everyone else on the team to also run their best and finish as good as we finished, we weren’t projected to finish anywhere near that.

Lucas Gentilia: Have you and or your team set any personal records this year?

Anirduh Krishnan: [I set a personal record of] 15:33 at states this year. Throughout the whole season, the weather was kind of bad, and a lot of guys, I know, didn’t hit PRs [personal records] until the very end. It felt kind of demoralizing at the start because we [the Plymouth Varsity Boys Cross Country Team] were like, ‘we can’t hit these,’ but then we qualified for states and I believe everyone on the team except for maybe one set a PR at states, so it was awesome.

Lucas Gentilia: When you run track in the spring what events do you run?

Anirudh Krishnan: Track is more my main sport compared to cross country. I run middle distances: the 800 meter and 1600 meter.

Lucas Gentilia: How are you preparing for this next track season, and do you have any goals for it?

Anirudh Krishnan: I want to have a blast and set awesome goals. I think it’d be awesome if I could break a Park record.

Lucas Gentilia: Have you received any offers or attention to continue running after high school?

Anirudh Krishnan: Especially this past spring, from track, I received a lot of offers and I was lucky to be able to commit to Johns Hopkins.

Lucas Gentilia: What was the process of being recruited and then ultimately being signed like?

Anirush Krishnan:  It was awesome. I started emailing coaches before my junior year track season. I wasn’t really expecting anything but I knew I just had an amazing season, thanks to my coaches and everyone here. Then I started getting responses from Johns Hopkins. They invited me for a visit and I just loved the place. I came back and then I had a call with the coach. They said whenever you apply early decision, we’ll give you admission and you’re on the team so that moment was just awesome.

Lucas Gentilia: Outside of athletics, what are you involved in?

Anirudh Krishnan: I’m also a black belt in taekwondo. Regarding community, I have this [non-profit] group called AK Friendship that helps kids who have some troubles and disabilities. I think the group is a great way that a lot of them can interact with one another.

I created it because my brother has some difficulties and disabilities. So I just wanted to include them and I think that’s one of my proudest accomplishments.

Lucas Gentilia: Do you run AK Friendship by yourself, and does the non-profit focus on the Plymouth-Canton area? 

Anirudh Krishnan: I run the organization by myself, correct. It’s kind of local. Anyone around here who has troubles [can join]. There are many high schoolers and middle schoolers in it, but we have a lot of college people, too, who are far away from home.

Lucas Gentilia: If there was one thing you could tell everyone in your non-profit what would it be?

Anirudh Krishnan: Just keep on going [no matter the struggles]. A lot of them experience difficulties. They go through so much, but they keep working hard and I think that’s awesome.

Answers have been restructured for clarity.