D1-Bound Runner Thomas Rasner: From SVA to Sac State

A deep dive into the rise and future of one of Redwood’s premier running talents, Thomas Rasner, ’25.

By: Lucas de Lima

Redwood High School has developed quite the cross country and track and field programs over the years, with the Track and Field team winning their ninth straight league title on Friday, May 9th, with both the boys and girls teams winning in dominant fashion.

One of the main contributors to this recent success has been the performances of Thomas Rasner, ’25, a Sacramento State University commit, and Redwood’s 2024-2025 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Rasner always enjoyed running, he said, “I started running in elementary school. I feel like my love of running just came from, I started doing it every day and I kind of realized that it was something I liked. My mothers side of the family, a lot of them did running too. [Running in elementary school] kind of just kick-started what was to come for the future, like the expectations and everything.”

Heading into Green Acres Middle School, excited to run for the Chargers, Rasner was confident that his success would translate over from his days at SVA, but an unexpected obstacle arose in the form of COVID-19.

“When I got to Green Acres, I knew that I would do pretty good there. Unfortuntately I only had one season of cross country, so it wasn’t the best there. But I think that the hardest setback was just COVID obviously, because that’s two years of not running. All of that running in elementary school kind of just went away, so yeah I think that getting back to running was pretty hard.”

Rasner got over that road block, and moved forward into his high school career starting as a freshman at Redwood High School in the 2021-22 school year. He ended up playing a year of JV Boys Soccer his freshman year, before reverting back to cross country full-time his sophomore year.

“I went to summer training before school started, and I was doing cross country, and then right when school started, I decided to quit it for soccer, and then I actually picked track back up, and I realized that I really love running. So going into sophomore year, I started doing cross country again, but actually did not do cross country my freshman year.”

On the reason why he chose running over soccer, Rasner said, “I always loved running, but I never thought I’d become so good, you know. I think I kind of realized how fast I could get towards the end of freshman year. So going into sophomore year, I’m like, you know, ‘I’m going to take this full on and see how far I can get.”

Rasner’s junior year was the time when he fully started to think about a future in running. I mean, [Junior year] was pretty much the biggest, sort of like, step in my running career. That’s where I started to get really fast, you know, getting down some pretty solid times. My freshman year, I always believed that I would run in college. And then I kind of started to doubt myself [during] sophomore year. But right when I got into junior year, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I can get scholarships from pretty major schools,” said Rasner.

Currently in his senior year, Rasner’s mindset throughout has been different than other years.  Rasner said, “I mean, it’s pretty much just expectations. I have a lot of expectations from my high school coach and my college coach. So it’s just holding those times and competing. All of my senior year has just been competing. It’s not really about times. It’s just, ‘can you compete in those big races?”

Over the years, Rasner has evolved as a runner in multiple ways. On what has changed, Rasner said, “Everything. [From] my form and how I eat has evolved, you know, like I eat healthy now. I run all the time. My training is a lot different. You know, even to [the] shoes I wear, I wear different shoes now. It just all comes down to exact stuff that I’m doing now.”

Evolving as a runner has elevated Rasner to new heights. Ranger competed in the 2024 USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas, where he competed in the 800 and 1500 meter races. He mentions this, the annual Mt. Sac Relays down south in Walnut, California as some of the favorite races he’s ever participated in.

Rasner’s family has been very supportive of his running career. “They’ve made a ton of sacrifices, you know, like getting me to practice, going to all of my meets, making sure that they’re present, pretty much, I think, that they’re like my my second hand coaches. You know, they’re there to support me when I’m not feeling the best, or when I’m doubting myself,” said Rasner.

Teammates of Rasner have also been instrumental to his success, and those who have raced with and against him have high praise for him.

Zack Vargas, ’26, said, “He’s like a brother. We just push each other in practices and at races. We learn how to push each other to run faster times.”

Rasner’s current PR’s (Personal Records) are as follows:

For the 800 meters, a 1.53:96 achieved on May 16, 2025 at the Central Section Division 1 Championship.

For the 1600 meters, Rasner’s PR is a 4:21.43 achieved on May 18, 2024 at the Central Section Masters Championships. 

Rasner also ran a 4:26.38 on May 9, 2025 at the EYL Championships. This time earned him first place during the meet and gave him an individual championship performance.

For the 3200 meters, Rasner’s PR is a 9:48.85 achieved on March 15, 2024 at the Gateway to Track and Field Invitational. 

Rasner also ran a 10:11.10 on April 23, 2025 during a duel between Redwood and Mt. Whitney. Rasner’s time won him the race that day, and helped propel the Boys Varsity Rangers to a 123 points to 18 points drubbing of the Pioneers. The Girls Varsity Rangers also won their duel, by a similar score of 122 to 18.

On what he respects most about Rasner, Vargas said, “his commitment and dedication and strive to keep on running and progressing.”

Hunter Skoglund, ’25, said, “He has a great impact on the team. He’s a great model. He’s a great person to look up to. He shows up everyday, he works hard. He’s a great person that people look up to, that a lot of people look up to.”

“Just his perseverance. I remember back sophomore year he was dealing with some injuries, and he wasn’t running very good but he’s come back from that and he’s running great right now. So just that dedication to keep pushing and to not give up. That’s something I admire in him the most,” said Skoglund.

Rasner has committed to Sacramento State University to continue his athletics career. On why he made that decision, Rasner said, “I picked Sacramento State mostly because of the coach. You know, he had amazing things to say. He said he saw himself in me, and that if I can get to work there, I’ve become a pretty high level athlete. So just to hear that he has interest in me was amazing and I’m like, ‘I need to commit right now.”

Rasner mentioned how Cade Burks, who oversees the cross country teams and distance runners at Sacramento State, was an integral part to his commitment to the Hornets.

Rasner has grown to love the competition aspect of his races.

“People feel that running like when you’re competing in big races, it’s all about, you know, who has the strongest legs, who’s the most physically fit. I feel that, you know, 70% of competing in a big race is actually competing. You need to have the mindset to compete, or else you’re not going to do good. I mean you could be the most physically fit athlete in the world, but if you don’t have the right mindset, you’re not going to win the race,” said Rasner.

And for the people who believe that running isn’t a sport? Rasner said, “I feel like that’s the only sport you know. It’s a true sport. It’s one of the first sports created on the entire planet. It’s something where you’re actually competing, it’s not a game. So, I think that if you think that, you should come out to practice and see how you feel the next day.”

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