What does it mean to be a part of the Brandeis community? The answer to that question is probably one that most take for granted. As students, staff members, trustees, alumna, parents, coaches, or otherwise neatly classifiable entities, we tend to accept that the Brandeis community is nothing more than the sum total of those individuals involved in the day-to-day functioning of this university as an institution of higher learning.Not so for Sarah Lawson. Over the course of the past year, Lawson, a resident of Waltham, a mother of two and a national track champion, has joined the Brandeis family as yet another laudable and altogether enriching member, albeit an untraditional one.

Officially, Lawson's title is "Friend of Brandeis," which is the nom de guerre that she employs in order to gain access to the Gosman Sports Center, where she trains in the weight room and on the indoor track. Although this title was originally intended as nothing more than a bureaucratic buzzword, as a mere means of access to our athletic facilities, which are kept under "lock and card," it has evolved from a truism into statement of truth. A legitimate and lasting friendship has developed between Lawson and the school.

Affable in demeanor and effusive in praise, Lawson explained the genesis of her career as a track and field athlete and expressed her gratitude for all that Brandeis has meant to her while she has been training.

As a high school and college athlete, her athletic interests lay more exclusively in team sports, including lacrosse, field hockey, ultimate frisbee and competitive skiing. (Her academic interests lie in political science, which she studied at Hampshire College and Columbia University.)

But unlike most athletes, who reach their competitive peaks in their 20s, Lawson, 40, did not even begin training as a sprinter until the fall of 2000, at age 38. That fall, she participated in a 5k road race and, unsatisfied with her performance, asked a friend's advice as to how to improve her time. This friend, himself a former world-class 800m runner, told Lawson, "If you want to go faster in road races, you have to do speed training."

Lawson took his advice and began to train at Waltham High School's outdoor track. According to Lawson, this friend and, later, coach, watching her sprint, "just kept saying, 'You're really fast.'"

Unbelieving, Lawson completed several time trials, looked up her times online , somparing them to others competing in her division (what was then 35-39 year old women), and realized that with some further training, she could be a legitimate track and field competitor.

She proceeded to train at the Greater Boston Track Club, and competed in her first track meet, the USAF National Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championships, in July, 2001. At this meet, Lawson brought home the bronze medal in the 400m and the silver in the 200 and the 100.

Lawson decided to expand her repertoire to include indoor competition, and needed an indoor track on which to train. At that point she contacted Brandeis to inquire about training at Gosman.

Beyond the convenient Waltham location, Lawson was most drawn to Brandeis' first-rate training facilities at the Gosman Sports Center.

Although Brandeis' track is not "banked," as are the indoor tracks used in competition, it is regulation size (1/8 mile periphery), and is adequate for her day-to-day needs. More importantly, however, Lawson lauded Brandeis for the atmosphere of friendliness and encouragement she found here.

Lawson adamantly expressed her appreciation for the people she meets when doing weight training. Fellow athletes and muscle-tone-seekers "really perk me up," Lawson said. They ask her what she's doing and she tells them what she is preparing for.

"When you have people around you who are encouraging you and asking you how you did, it really helps," Lawson said. "The people here who ask me how it's going, who have said 'Hi' to me, and who get excited about what I'm doing ... It really inspires you."

"I just feel really grateful to Brandeis for both the facilities and the welcoming feeling that I get here," Lawson said. "It's just fantastic."

Evidently, Lawson's training at Brandeis has paid off. In March 2000, she competed in the USAF Indoor Championships, her first ever indoor competition. She took the bronze medal in the 400m event.

Most recently, Lawson participated in this year's National Masters Outdoor Championships, held on Aug. 9, 10 and 11 at the University of Maine. In keeping with her "track record," Lawson once again made drastic improvements in her performance, earning the silver medal in the 200m event with a time of 27.70 seconds and the gold medal in the 100m, finishing in 13.31 seconds.

Nonetheless, Lawson said she sees room for improvement.

"These are pretty good times," she said, "but I'm not satisfied with them. I'm getting faster. Since last year, I've chopped almost a second off my 100, so I'm learning and getting better."

Lawson, inspiration must be reciprocal.