Sophie Liu and Isabel Liu wander around their middle school activities fair and pass tables for chess club, drama club, robotics, and more, but nothing sticks out. None of the tables feel quintessentially them. Then, they spot a table for an activity called cross country and are immediately intrigued.
As lovers of travel, the sisters are beyond excited to join an activity called cross country because they think they'll get to do just that - cross the country. However, when they show up to the first practice and are asked to start running, they realize they have made a grave mistake.
Yet, mistake is no longer the word to describe the day they began cross country. The better way to characterize it: the beginning of a lifelong love for running.
The Liu twins are freshmen on the New York University women's cross country team, While their entry into the sport was far from purposeful, their choice to stay has defined their lives and their relationship with one another. They started the sport together and plan to finish it in the same way. They have the unique opportunity to compete at the NCAA level together at the same university. It's one they don't take lightly.
As Sophie and Isabel began to take cross country seriously in high school, they improved and trained at a rate faster than their teammates around them.
"When it came to the roster, Isabel and I were one and two and the third person was five minutes behind us," Sophie says. "We couldn't train with them. Most of the training we did was on our own."
The twins became closer because everything they did was by themselves. They lacked the support of teammates who could push them to get better, so they did that for each other. The Liu's spent their high-school years training with and encouraging each other to get better. Isabel credits this to the fact that they are identical twins.
"We're biological clones of each other. If Sophie can hit a time, I can hit it too," Isabel explains. "We use each other to measure up against."
The friendly competition between them allows both to continue to push the envelope and train even harder. While they enjoy training together, "when it comes to running the race, it's every person for herself," Sophie shares. "We don't want being sisters to get in the way of trying our best."
Cross country has brought them closer together, which Nic Jacobsen, NYU's Associate Head Coach for cross country and track & field, feels is a byproduct of running
"Obviously they're twins, but through running you get to know people closer than you would in almost any other sport," Jacobsen said. "There's an innate understanding and a bond between them that can manifest itself within the rest of our team, which is pretty unique."
The twins have seen this firsthand because during races they can recognize and specifically listen for the sound of each other breathing. That's a skill that is only built through years of running side by side. Seeing each other on the course makes both Sophie and Isabel feel comfortable and at ease.
Even though cross country is their sport of choice, the twins have seen running seep into their hobbies and everyday lives, using it as a way to explore new cities and places when they travel. Sophie explains that she and Isabel will pick a direction and begin running without a GPS. They follow a route of their choosing, which Sophie says allows them to see what the locals see. It has given them a new lens to look at the world through.
Cross country isn't just a sport to the sisters, it's a way of life.
"Cross country redefined hard work. It almost makes everything seem easy," Isabel admits. "I take that same discipline from it and I apply it to everything."
Cross country has changed Sophie and Isabel's world view. It allows them to represent and be proud of their Asian heritage. The Liu twins are originally from Alpharetta, GA, the first in their family to be born in the United States. Their entire family is from China and most of their extended family still lives there. The Liu's feel that cross country is a sport that lacks Asian representation.
"We went to a predominantly Asian school, but when we went to a meet we were the only Chinese people there," Sophie reflects. "I was proud that I was representing."
Sophie and Isabel had to blaze their own trail, even when they didn't see people with the same heritage as them on the course.
"There are a lot of cliches around Asian children's upbringing," Isabel explains. "They typically play sports like tennis, swimming, or golf. They didn't really consider cross country to be a very viable pathway to college."
However, after the twins created their own pathway, they have seen an increase of Asian runners in their community.
"After we graduated, a lot of Asian parents have been having their kids do cross country," Sophie says.
The sisters are proud to represent their Chinese heritage and are even prouder that they were able to make a difference in their hometown.
New York City is a place that creates a home for all identities, and the Liu sisters have found themselves feeling right at home at NYU.
"NYU is one of those places where when you visit, you think you have to go here," Isabel says.
They were hooked after their first visit, not only on NYU, but on the cross country team in particular. After training on their own for so long, a strong and encouraging team was essential to the decision process. The Liu's say that the Violets' cross country team has been a breath of fresh air.
"When I visited here, this was the kind of team I wanted to be a part of," Isabel explains. "When we're running in Central Park or on a track, everyone is also pushing themselves. Being around people who have the same work ethic as us makes the whole experience."
Sophie and Isabel are extremely excited about what the cross country season and their time at NYU will bring them. Both women are business majors in the Leonard N. Stern School of Business and look forward to challenging themselves on the course and in the classroom. Sophie wants to work towards creating a start-up in her junior year while Isabel is excited to see how the collegiate training program will improve her running. They also are looking forward to building their relationships on the team.
"The freshmen this year are really great," Isabel says. "You feel the support because no one can relate to you as much as they can."
Jacobsen is equally as excited for what the twins bring to the program.
"They're the type of kids that are going to be culture setters," he says. "As they continue to develop, they're kids we're going to lean on over the next couple years to develop into key pieces that are in our top seven and in our rotation because they both have the ability to do that."
Sophie and Isabel have already shown signs of success in their freshman seasons. Both scored in the top five for NYU in the Jasper Fall XC Invitational, the Paul Short Invite White Race, and the Connecticut College White Race. Isabel and Sophie both set career best times of 22:50:4 and 22:56:3, respectively, at the Paul Short Invite.
The Violets are currently ranked #5 in the nation.
When Sophie and Isabel look back on their accidental beginning into cross country, they can't help but laugh. One, because it was an honest mistake, and two because it began a journey that extends far beyond the five- and six-thousand meter runs they complete in. Neither one can explain exactly why they run, but both know their relationships and lives wouldn't be the same without it.
