Continuing her season of great races, sophomore, Sophia Stone finished second in the Don Cathcart Invitational hosted by Salisbury University on Saturday, October 1st. Stone ran the 6K course in 21:17 finishing merely 11 seconds behind the first place competitor who was a DII runner. Amanda Fadden was the second MBC runner to cross the finish line in 27:09 followed by Kimberly Denny at 27:58 and Carolyn Denny at 28:28. While each competitor walked away with their own individual achievements, the team was able to hold onto an 11th place finish, in a meet that consisted of 16 teams, whose abilities ranged the gambit.
While not all of our ladies were able to participate this past weekend, we still continued to show great improvements. All of our hard work combined with the flat course, proved to be a good confidence booster for all of my athletes. In retrospect, I am extremely glad I made this meet a part of our schedule this year. Despite the long drive the day prior and the day of, the meet was able to provide each of my runners with their own unique test. Some of my ladies needed to assess their competitive edge against faster runners, some needed to prove to themselves just how quickly they could move on a flat course. However, despite the individualized challenges they all faced, as they stepped up to the starting line on race morning, every one of them was reminded of why they run.
Once the starting boxes had been assigned, the MBC ladies looked to their left and looked to their right. They were surrounded by people just like themselves, young women that yearned for the competition, fierce challengers setting out to reach their goals. They were ready to race for the number one spot, a new personal record (PR), a new sense of accomplishment. And by the time they reached the finish line, all of them, MBC runners included, had proven to themselves and the cheering crowds that in cross country, when the pain of racing sets in, it’s just a sign to push even harder.
It’s good to see the competitive spirit alive and well in my runners. While I can provide them with the workouts, only they can believe in themselves enough to give that final finish line kick. After all, running is a sport of visualization, and as our championship meets draw near, it is my hope, their visualizations for continued success, will become a reality.
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