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Photo Credit: Brown Athletics, Clemson Athletics, Minnesota Athleics, William & Mary Athletics
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 5Back from the BrinkBack from the BrinkStories from the men of William & Mary, Clemson, Brown, Stories from the men of William & Mary, Clemson, Brown, and the University of Minnesotaand the University of MinnesotaBy Jack BalickIn what might be the understatement of the century, COVID-19 hit everyone hard. But collegiate athletic departments? Our favorite novel coronavirus might have hit them harder than Muhammad Ali teeing up Joe Frazier at the Thrilla in Manilla. Their lifeblood — ticket sales, TV revenues, donations — dried up overnight. Those revenue-generating sports most central to the cor-porate machines known as athletic departments weathered the storm fairly well as university ofcials heeded the advice, “Never bite the hand that feeds you.” However, sports more downstream in institutions’ priorities experienced the worst of the drought, including cross-country and track. Our status as a non-revenue sport made us an easy target for athletic directors trying to make their balance sheets prettier. Nevertheless, even with tough times on the horizon, the track world was not ready for the gut punches of teams being cut. Schools in places like Clemson, South Carolina and Minneapolis, Minnesota, battled for the fate of their teams’ athletic futures, their impassioned pleas reverberating throughout the track community.Many of these athletes, through protesting, social media awareness, and rallying their schools’ alumni, were able to bring their programs back from the brink. Yet what happens once a program is back from that proverbial brink? How does a team move forward after being on the chopping block? We checked in with athletes from William and Mary, Clemson, Minnesota, and Brown to evaluate what opportunities and challenges their programs faced after such a turbulent time period.The rst of the athletes we spoke with was William & Mary’s Spencer Tsai. As a senior with an extra year of eligibility in cross country, indoor, and outdoor track, Tsai entered 2020 with plans of remaining in Williamsburg for his 5th year. Upon returning to campus in the fall, Tsai discovered William & Mary’s athletic department had other plans as they announced through a team zoom call that they would be cut-ting their Men’s Cross Country and Track and Field teams. Tsai and his teammates found themselves in the middle of cross country season without a single clue for where they’d be in just six short months. “That spring we had a pretty terrible season,” recalls Tsai. “We were coming out of winter break, recovering from being cut, we had to rely on freshmen that were really untested, we had a lot of injuries, it was just really hard.” The gut punch of having their program slated to be cut by the end of year had knocked the William & Mary men down to their knees and as they struggled to get back up, matters only worsened. “I think the low point specically came when we had our cross country conference meet in the spring. We had this 20-year win streak, like it’s one of the longest active win streaks in the NCAA, and we got our butts kicked by Northeastern. It was a hard pill to swallow.”From there Tsai and his teammates went straight into their outdoor track season, still feeling the shock of their program’s anticipated fate. “The mentality around racing and training was still recover-ing,” says Tsai. “I feel like we were just recovering from being cut and most of us didn’t know if we were coming back or not.” The team had reached a dark place and it wasn’t just its own members who were beginning to notice. “I was told of Spencer TsaiWilliam & Mary
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 6a LetsRun thread that just eviscerated our team,” recalled Tsai, “and I couldn’t really argue entirely with it because we did have a really bad season. I think you can’t blame it all on getting cut because you still have to be strong and keep training and keep faith.” “You can’t just give up entirely. But I think there was a bit of complacency that came with getting cut.”It wasn’t until mid-March that William & Mary would nally receive some good news. With the help of Russell Dinkins — a Princeton Track and Field alum and activist involved in the reinstallment of William & Mary’s, the University of Minnesota’s, Clemson’s, and Brown’s track teams — along with a long list of William & Mary track and eld alumni, William & Mary’s president Katherine Rowe nally made the announcement that Men’s Cross Country and Track and Field would be reinstated. Finally, momentum was back on William & Mary’s side and a light began to appear at the end of a very dark tunnel for Tsai and his teammates. “After that spring season,” explains Tsai, “going into the fall, we got a couple transfers, the sophomores who are now juniors are really starting to become very strong, and we’re showing that we’re making our way back to being a very solid strong program… Now the mentality is ‘we’re back and we’re here to stay so let’s build something special here.’” With a win at the Colonial Athletic Association championship meet this past cross country season and some very fast times on the track this winter, William & Mary is back on their feet and ready to move forward. Samuel GarringerClemson UniversityDown in Clemson, South Carolina, the story was quite similar. Clemson University Cross Country and Track and Field athlete Samuel Garringer recalls being pulled out of class for a meeting regarding an unspecied subject. “I got a message from our track and eld director,” recalls Garringer, “and she was like ‘hey you gotta come down we’re having this meeting.’ And I told her I was in the middle of class but she was like ‘no, get out, we’ll make sure you’re excused’ and I was like okay this probably isn’t a very happy meeting.” To Garringer’s and his teammates’ chagrin, his prediction was correct. Clemson’s athletic director informed the men of the track and eld and cross country teams that their sports would be cut at the conclusion of Top: Clemson team picture. Bottom: March to reinstate the Clemson team. Photo Credits (top, bottom): Summer Robinson, Gabrielle Garringer
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 7the academic year. “They claimed it was mainly a Title IX issue,” recalls Garringer, “and they also told us that they nancially couldn’t keep us which we were denitely frustrated by because we’re the cheapest sport on campus. And then they gave us a ridiculous amount of money that we would have to raise, like it was over 50 million dollars, to keep the program reinstated for a certain amount of time.”Fortunately for the Clemson men, the reaction from their staff and alumni was swift. That same night the Clemson Track and Field team held a zoom call with multiple alumni in attendance to discuss a plan of attack. “Our rst approach was really tackling the most frustrating part which was that we were one of the most diverse teams on campus and you’re basically taking away a lot of opportunities from those student athletes,” explained Garringer, “and also track is the most popular sport in South Carolina for high school students so you’re taking away the number one sport from the biggest school in South Carolina.” With the help of Russell Dinkins, the Clemson men began their campaign, organizing protests, creating a social media account/hashtag, and working with a lawyer to address the legality of the Clemson athletic department’s plan.Throughout the Clemson men’s ght to keep their team, any sort of prog-ress seemed to be met with a new problem proposed by Clemson’s athletic department. “First they told us [the problem was] money, and then they just switched around the problem,” recalled Garringer. “Whenever we found a solution to the problem they came up and were like ‘no, it’s actually really this’ and they just kept on jumping around until eventually they ran out of excuses.”After a Title IX investigation initiated by the team’s lawyer, Arthur Bryant, Clemson’s athletic department nally relinquished, reinstating Men’s Cross Country and Track and Field and ending the over ve-month long battle the team had fought so hard to win.Despite their condence in their position, the decision came as a surprise to Garringer and his teammates.“We were all nervous the whole time. Every single update [our lawyer] had for us he was like ‘no, we’re good’ but then no good news would come and we were like ‘okayyy,’” recalls Garringer. “And then just one night he Top: Clemson team picture. Bottom: March to reinstate the Clemson team. Photo Credits (top, bottom): Summer Robinson, Gabrielle Garringer
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 8was like ‘yeah we got all three of the teams back.’”But after successfully saving their team from its arranged axing, there was still more to be addressed. “Once the team got reinstated everyone kind of just forgot about it,” says Garringer. “Like ‘oh you got reinstated, that’s awesome’ and just kind of disregarded it but we were like ‘no, there’s a lot more still going on here.’”Despite being told by their athletic department that their team was being cut due to Title IX and nancial issues, the Clemson men discovered during their investigation that Clemson’s ath-letic department planned to use the opening in their list of varsity sports to add more roster spots to their Men’s Football team. Clemson also stated in their press release regarding the reinstatement of the teams that “Covid-19 did not harm the University in as drastic a way as anticipated.” Now standing on the other side of the campaign it’s no mystery to the Clemson men how fragile their status as school-spon-sored varsity teams can be. But while their status remains intact they’re determined to make use of it. With ve men indi-vidually qualifying for the NCAA indoor championships this year in the 60 meter hurdles, weight throw, and 800 meters, Clemson is making it very clear why they deserve to stay. Facing your team’s removal as a current athlete is difcult enough, but for Brown sophomore John McNeil, the decision to cut his university’s men’s track team came before he had even set foot on campus. “There was this Zoom call to talk about this ‘Excellence Initiative’ but they didn’t really describe it much.” Recalls McNeil. “One of my friends on the team was one of the only ones who could go to it so people were asking in the chat ‘what’s going on at the meeting?’ and he was like ‘I think they might be canceling Men’s Track. I’m really confused.’” The “Excellence Initiative” McNeil was referring to was a plan introduced by Brown’s athletic department which, as stated on their website, is meant to “[advance] a vision for a varsity athletics program to become among the most competitive among Brown’s peers.”In order to accomplish this, Brown identied as their rst step “[revising] the roster of varsity sports through a net reduction in teams from 38 to 29 (transitioning eleven varsity teams to club sports and two club sports to varsity), while enhancing existing club team offerings,” making it clear that Brown’s vision of an “excellent” athletic program did not include men’s track and eld or cross country. The news came as a shock to McNeil, his teammates and even his coach. “It was super weird.” Recalls McNeil. “[our coach] got notice like ve minutes before the Zoom call… They said that men’s track was cut for Title IX reasons and a lot of other sports were cut for nancial reasons. Title IX is a com-pletely valid issue to have to do something about but it was just kind of destroying that they picked us out of everyone.”In the blink of an eye, McNeil’s plans of competing at the Division I level were put on hold indenitely. “By the time they announced that men’s track was canceled, the transfer deadline had already passed,” recalls McNeil, “so even if you wanted to transfer you had to wait. I thought about taking a gap year. I got in touch with some of the coaches I had been in touch with through the recruitment process. There were a lot of options going through my mind, but luckily I didn’t end up having to go through all of that again.” John McNeilBrown University “For this most recent Heps Championship that was huge for us because that was the first one since we had gotten cut. The night before competing we were like ‘okay, we shouldn’t be here right now. We allowed ourselves to get back, so we have to show that we’re meant to be here.” - John McNeil
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 9Fortunately for McNeil and his teammates, the decision to cut men’s track and eld and cross country was met with an immediate and impassioned backlash from the running com-munity. “There was just this crazy amount of support.” Recalls McNeil. “There was a Change.org petition and something like 40,000 people signed that to get Brown men’s track and eld back which was insane to see being a recruit.” Included in Brown’s outpour of support was former Ivy League track and eld athlete Russell Dinkins who led a social media campaign that argued if Brown was “actually serious about racial justice, [they] would not be cutting the men’s track and eld team.” Dinkins explained via social media that with diversity not exactly being a strong suit in Ivy League ath-letics — as 65% of Ivy League athletes are white — Brown’s decision to cut one of their most diverse teams on campus would mean failing to uphold their promise towards diversity, equity, and inclusion. The campaign was clearly successful as less than a month after the announcement, Brown decided to bring back men’s cross country, men’s indoor track and eld, and men’s outdoor track and eld. “We had a call with the president when she told us they were gonna bring it back, and when she told us I just left the room and started celebrating.” Recalls McNeil, laughing. “But for this most recent Heps Championship that was huge for us because that was the rst one since we had gotten cut. The night before competing we were like ‘okay, we shouldn’t be here right now. We allowed ourselves to get back, so we have to show that we’re meant to be here.”With a fourth place team nish at the Indoor Ivy League Heptagonal Championships – supported by an individual win in the high jump by McNeil – Brown’s men’s track team is showing exactly why they are “meant to be here.”Seth EliasonUniversity of Minnesota Unlike William & Mary, Clemson, and Brown, the University of Minnesota Men’s Track Team is still in the process of fully reinstating their running programs. When the University of Minnesota’s athletic department decided to cut several men’s teams in light of the pandemic – including Men’s Gymnastics, Men’s Tennis and Men’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field – Men’s Cross Country was spared. But despite the many efforts of the men’s team and their supporters, the athletic department has only reinstated Men’s Outdoor Track, still refusing to bring back Indoor.University of Minnesota Junior Seth Eliason recalls being shocked by the decision from the athletic department. “We had no idea prior [to the meeting,]” recalls Eliason, “nobody did… nobody on at least the track side of things. I’m sure some people higher up in the athletic department had some idea, but our coach found out probably 30 minutes before we did.”Much like the other teams across the country that were sub-jected to the same fate, the news came in the form of a Zoom meeting. For Eliason and his teammates, the Zoom meeting included the entire Men’s Gymnastics, Tennis, and Track and Field teams and consisted of a short speech from athletic director Mark Coyle explaining the decision. “It seemed very abrupt to me that we didn’t have any prior notice.” Says Eliason. “It just seemed like a cop out, from the very start of it. There was no reason that our team shouldn’t have known that we were even on the chopping block prior to this happening”Determined to ght for their program’s status, Eliason and his teammates started their campaign led by pole vaulter Mike Herauf and activist Russell Dinkins. The team began by hand-writing and hand-delivering letters to the school’s Board of Regents. “We were trying to really show them ‘you’re cutting these people,’” says Eliason. “‘You’re not just cutting a team. We are real people and this is our livelihood. This is something we love to do, this is something we’ve grown up doing, and you’re just trying to take it away from us.’” The Minnesota men continued their ght throughout the Brown track team after competition. Photo Credit: Brown Track and Field
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 10coming months, writing more letters, holding meetings, and even marching from the university’s athletic facility to the Dean’s house. The march concluded with speeches from members of the team including several student athletes of color who explained the implications of the University cutting its most diverse team on campus.The campaign was relentless and as the Board of Regents’ meeting to determine the course of action for cutting the three sports approached, the Minnesota men felt condent they had done enough. “At this point we thought it was going to get refuted.” Recalls Eliason. “But the day of the board meeting Mark Coyle, our [athletic director], went into the Board of Regents and said ‘we will still cut the Men’s Gymnastics team and the Men’s Tennis team and we’ll also still cut the Men’s Indoor Track team, but we’re gonna save the outdoor track team.’”With no time to respond, the Minnesota men had no choice other than to accept the bittersweet decision. Today, the Minnesota men are still ghting to get their indoor track team back, continuing their social media campaign through their Instagram account @savegophertf, and dis-cussing even taking their ght to the Supreme Court.More uncertainty awaits Minnesota as they continue their battle for full varsity status of their running program. But in this sea of uncertainty, the one thing they do know is the running community’s support isn’t going anywhere. Anstey races cross country. Photo Credit: Illinois State Athletics March to reinstate the Minnesota Team. Photo Credit: Aaron Livinksy
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 12Running with TurmoilRunning with TurmoilBy Ashley PerryThroughout the majority of my childhood and teenage years, I dealt with chronic anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I was always taught not to let the intrusive thoughts that came from these disorders affect my daily life, but it is easier said than done. When you mix a tragic death, a divorce, and transitioning to college into the equation, all within six months of each other, it can be a much harder battle to ght.I come from a place called Londonderry, a very small town in southern New Hampshire, not too far from Boston. When I was eight years old, my mom decided to sign my sister and me up for horseback riding lessons. Little did she know, she had just unleashed a passion that would guide me for the rest of my childhood and into my young adulthood. By the time I was ten, I had worked my way up to world and national competitions and was ready for a fancy show horse of my own. On Christmas Day 2015, I received Gipper; the horse that would carry me to numerous wins, titles, and memories. Most importantly, this was the beginning of a rare and special bond between the two of us.Right before my sophomore year of highschool, I started to get bored with my only activity being horseback riding. I wanted to be around my friends at school and nd a way to become more involved. My Uncle Matt, who is one of my biggest role models, talked me into signing up for cross country. It did not take long for me to fall in love with running and the grind of it. To this day, the hard work and effort it takes to be successful in running is my favorite aspect of it. I ran cross country and track at my hometown highschool for my sophomore and junior years, but transferred to a new school my senior year. There, I competed on the varsity cross country and track teams. It had always been my dream to attend college at the University of Kentucky. I loved every aspect of the school; plenty of horses, beautiful trails to run on, the football games, and the experience I could have there. I had absolutely no plan to run in college since I was attending an SEC school. I was completely content with nishing out my competitive running career in highschool and joining Kentucky’s club team. It seemed like the perfect place for me, at least until life started to throw curveballs at me. It was January 20, 2021. I was sitting at my dining room table taking a physics exam remotely and my mom had just left the house to pick my sister up from school. Honestly, it was a great day so far. My new puppy, Hazel, had slept through the night, I had aced my test, and now I was Top: Perry rides a horse in competition. Photo Credit: Murphy McSemek. Bottom: Perry races cross country. Photo Credit: Wentworth Institute of Technology
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 13playing outside with her. Extra sleep, good grades, and a new puppy to play with? Come on! What was there to com-plain about? My mom came home from getting my sister from school, and I instantly knew something was wrong just by watching her body language getting out of the car. I ran inside and heard the words that broke my heart, “Ashley, something’s happened to Gipper. He had a sei-zure and broke his leg.”I fell to the ground. It felt like my world had come crashing down. We drove straight to the barn. We got there so fast that we actually beat the vet there. Two hours later, I had to make the decision to put my beloved Gipper to sleep. A decision no seventeen year old should have to make. His broken leg was so severe, he would not have been able to live a quality life, no matter what surgery was performed. In that moment, I had to say goodbye to so many goals and dreams I had wanted to accomplish with Gipper. Most of all, I had to say goodbye to my world, my constant, and half of my heart. I will never forget how much love I was surrounded by; from my family and friends, my horse trainers, and the entire horse industry. This loss, to this day, is the hardest thing I have ever had to go through.Two months later, I was nally feeling better. I was starting to pick up the pieces and focus on an amazing outdoor track season and horse show season. Track season and horse show season start at the exact same time every year, so I am very used to juggling both. As soon as I nally felt like I could breathe again, my parents decided they were going to get a divorce. Awesome. It was the end of my senior year, the time everyone says is supposed to be the best time of your life. My experience, if you could not tell, was quite the opposite. Nevertheless, I persisted, had a great track season, started the show season strong, and nished my senior year making fun memories with my friends. Even though I put these hard-ships on the backburner, it did not change the fact that I had to deal with them at some point. Unfortunately, that eventually all bottled up and came out at a much later date.It was the end of Summer 2021; a summer lled with lots of running, time with family, and valuable time at the barn. Even though I had done all of these things to ll my cup to make sure I would be happy moving away to Kentucky for college, it still did not feel like the right choice. A week before I was sup-posed to move into my dorm at the University of Kentucky, I deferred my attendance and enrolled at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. The bottom line is, I had been through so much mental damage within the six months prior that I just could not bear the thought of moving far away from home.This new college decision brought one very big opportu-nity; the chance to run in college. I reached out to the coach and we had a phone conversation the next day. Fall 2021 was the inaugural year for Wentworth’s Women’s Cross Country Team and I am proud to have been a part of it. I never dreamed I would be running in college, but I feel very lucky that it fell into my lap.My cross country season was pretty average. Obviously, I was not prepping for college running over the summer, so I hit my peak way too early. I wound up getting pretty burnt out, which resulted in me missing my freshman indoor track season. Contrary to what others might think, despite sitting out from track, I never stopped running. At the end of January, I received an opportunity to run the Boston Marathon this April and I immediately jumped on it. I put my head down, got to work, and started my training cycle promptly. I thought putting all of my stress into training for the marathon would help me. Turns out, I was very wrong.As February and March rolled on, my anxiety started to increase more than it ever had before. I describe it as having constant turmoil with myself. If something happy was not happening at every given moment, I would nd something to Top: Perry rides a horse in competition. Photo Credit: Murphy McSemek. Bottom: Perry races cross country. Photo Credit: Wentworth Institute of Technology
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 14be upset about. Every time I let myself be happy, I would tear down that thought with another destructive one. My threshold for getting upset was also a lot lower than most other peo-ple’s, causing me to get upset over irrelevant things, which was very draining. In addition to my newly profound mental struggles, I also had to deal with brushing the situations of 2021 under the rug. This brought back many unresolved feelings, which caused me to spiral into a very dark place.Like most other runners, I turned to running as a coping mechanism. All of my energy went into training for the mar-athon, but this caused an even bigger dilemma for me to address. I began to despise running because I was not run-ning with passion anymore; I was running out of anger and bitterness at life. While I think it is a good thing to set goals and keep yourself busy when trying to cope with issues, it is never smart to hyperfocus on something so much that you suck the joy out of it. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way. Running the marathon may not have been the best decision for me; I was risking a very large injury and I was running it for the wrong reasons. Even though this decision was hard to come to, I know it was for the best.Fortunately, I have a very responsive mother who knows me better than I know myself. After crying to her on the phone about how sad I was for the umpteenth time, I hung up, did my hair, and started to get ready for my day. Ten minutes later, I got a phone call from her telling me to come home from Boston for the day and go to the doctor to address these issues. It was not fair to myself or anyone around me to go on like this anymore. I’ve always been one to steer away from any type of medicine because I felt ashamed. I’ve learned that there is no reason to be ashamed. Everyone deserves to be happy and live life to the fullest, and if medical intervention is what it takes, then so be it. After a long conversation with the doctor, we gured out a solution that works for me, and has been working magic ever since.After getting the proper help I needed, I now realize my strug-gle with anxiety affected me more than I realized. My social interactions, my happiness, and my outlook on everything has done a complete 180. The past year has been a roller coaster ride I never thought I would be on, but I would not change any-thing. Was it hard? Absolutely. Was any of it ideal? Absolutely not, but it made me stronger and proved that if I can handle these problems, I can truly handle anything. Life is too short to stay bitter and focus on the negative situ-ations that have happened. The past year has left me with a few lessons that I think everyone should know: »It is okay to grieve over death, loss, and having to let go, but I will not let it inhibit me from making new memories and moving forward. »I will not listen to the people who say I cannot do something. I promise I will prove that I can and will. » I will not overwork myself to the point of burnout. » Yes, running is something I enjoy working hard for and I enjoy being successful, but I will never forget that at the end of the day, it is all for fun.Perry races. Photo Credit: Millenium Running
15Photo Credit: Aiden Shertzer, @ashertzer02
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 16In the 800 meter semi-nal of the 2021 US Olympic Trials, Brandon Miller found him-self in fourth position in a pack of seven with 200 meters left in the race. Only the top three nishers were guaranteed to advance to Monday’s nal and with big names in the pack, such as Olympic bronze medalist Clayton Murphy and world cham-pion Donovan Brazier, there was absolutely no room for error if Miller wanted a chance. As the pack violently charged down the curve and onto the home stretch, arms and legs rigging with lactic acid, faces grimac-ing in pain, Miller started to feel himself go backwards. First Clayton Murphy (the eventual winner of the race) swung around Miller as they hit the middle of the curve, moving Miller back to fth. Then Jonah Koech passed Miller on his inside as they hit the nal 100 meters, putting a third body in between Miller and the nal. Finally, with 50 meters to go, Sean Dolan passed Miller on his outside, moving Miller back to his eventual seventh place nish. Miller watched his dreams crumble before his eyes as he crossed the nish line. He would have to wait another four years before he could attempt to make another US Olympic team. But until then, he would have to sit with what he saw as a “failure.”“I was so disappointed,” recalls Miller, “nobody wants to get knocked out.” Seventh place nishes were not common The Brandon Miller StoryThe Brandon Miller StoryBy Jack BalickTop: Miller celebrates at SEC Championships. Photo Credit: Jamison Michael. Bottom: Miller at NCAA Outdoor Championships. Photo Credit: Texas A&M Athletics
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 17for Miller, especially throughout his youth career. At just 13 years old Miller shocked the world, running an age group world record of 1:56.41 in the 800m and then again just one year later, now 14 years old, with a time of 1:51.23. Not only was Miller the best, he was the best at being the best. His times were untouchable for kids his age and the track world was quickly beginning to notice. Articles, discussion threads, interviews, and even a documentary started to ood the American track and eld media scene, all cen-tered around Miller’s success at such an early age. Forums on pages like LetsRun™ started to rack up hundreds of comments about the teenager from Missouri. Some comments called him a prodigy, some claimed he was the next great American half miler… others were less friendly.“People would say things like ‘oh he might burn out, he might do this, he might do that,’” recalls Miller, “and looking at those com-ments as a 13-year-old kid can really take a toll on your condence.” In one LetsRun forum in particular, titled “Brandon Miller Will Never Be World Class,” commenters claimed that his training was too rigorous at such an early age and that this would lead his progres-sion as an athlete to plateau after high school. A claim that in reality held no basis. Miller’s childhood track coach was his mother, Angela Miller, who made sure to avoid overtraining her son. “I think my mom did a great job of separating ‘mom’ from ‘coach,’” says Miller. “Having somebody who really knows you as your coach is a really good thing. If I was really hurting during a workout but I didn’t want to tell her, she would always know so she could back me off or anything like that. I think my mom did a great job because she knew exactly who I was, not only as an athlete but as a person as well.”And straying away from overtraining wasn’t Angela Miller’s only concern, either. Equally as important as training was ensuring that Miller had a normal and happy childhood. “My mom did a great job keeping me as a kid, giving me the upbringing a regular child would have,” says Miller. “It wasn’t all track until I got to college. I always played different sports. My mom and my dad wanted me to have a childhood so [that] when I specialized in track it wouldn’t be something I was dreading.”With such a great coach and support system, Miller’s success continued as he ran 1:49 in the 800m as just a freshman in high school and again as a sophomore. But in his junior year Miller would nally hit his rst major athletic roadblock. After tearing his hamstring, Miller was out for the entire 2019 season. As he worked to get back to the track for his senior year, the Covid-19 pandemic shut down any hopes of redemption. “I like to call those two years in high school the ‘waiting room period’ portion of my career,” explains Miller. “I was blessed to experience a lot of success as a kid and you can develop a sense of pride when that happens. Humility can go out of the window at times when you’re constantly being talked about. So I feel like those two years in my career were really God forming me into the man he wanted me to become in order to receive the blessings that were waiting for me. I came out a totally different man.”Now as a freshman at Texas A&M, matured from his setbacks and nally ready to race again, success still did not return immediately for Miller. “At the Texas, Texas A&M dual meet I got third,” Recalls Miller. “Devon Dixon took us out in 55 and I was at a point in my career where I was like ‘oh my gosh I’m racing Devon Dixon, he’s denitely gonna take us out in 50 point, it’s gonna be smooth.’ But he didn’t. And I remember after the race we were all disappointed and Coach Henry came up to me and said ‘you could be the best half-miler we have here, but we won’t know because you’re afraid to fail.’”“So after that it was like ‘okay, my desire to succeed has to be greater than my fear of failure.’”Just six weeks later at the SEC Conference Championships Miller did exactly that. Refusing to let his fear of failure win, Miller clocked an impressive 1:46.06 PR to win his prelim, leading the entire race wire to wire. Miller then followed his prelim with another PR of 1:45.95 to win the nal, sending himself to the NCAA West Regional meet with the second “I was tired of being overlooked, I was tired of being undervalued, so now the mentality this year is ‘I’m the one.”
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 18fastest time in the country.The PRs continued for Miller as he ran another blistering fast nal at the NCAA West Regional meet, winning in a time of 1:45.57.As Miller stood on the line of the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships 800m nal, he was indeed a “new man.” No longer plagued by his fear of failure, Miller was willing to risk anything in pursuit of victory. As the starter’s gun sounded Miller bolted off the line, nding himself in the lead at the break. Unrelenting, Miller kept the pace hot, leading himself and the only other athlete in the race willing to go with him, Isaiah Jewett, to a 400-meter split of 50.93. As the pair rounded the third curve, Isaiah Jewett swung around Miller while the two continued to distance themselves from the rest of the pack.“They’ve developed quite the gap here,” said the announcer as the pair marched down the back stretch and into the nal curve. The rest of the athletes in the eld were now almost 10 meters behind.Still not nished, Miller moved into the second lane as they came onto the homestretch, now just off of the shoulder of Isaiah Jewett… “And Brandon Miller says ‘I’m not done here… I’m not gonna just give it to ya,’” says the announcer. Still locked in their positions, the pair came through the line with Isaiah Jewett in rst at 1:44.68 and Miller less than three tenths of a second back in second at 1:44.97. For the rst time in his career, Miller had broken the 1:45 barrier in the 800m, nishing second in the NCAA, and doing it all while only a freshman in college.It seemed as though momentum was nally back on Miller’s side and he was ready to pick up where he had left off. But as the story would tell, one more roadblock awaited him at the US Olympic Trials. Failing to make the US Olympic team was just as frustrating as his two years spent unable to race back in 2019 and 2020. But much like that experience, it wasn’t lost on Miller how his frustration could catapult him to the next level.“I actually think the main contributor to my success this year was the Olympic Trials last year,” says Miller. “I remember coming out of that race like ‘man, I can run with these dudes.’ So after that it was like, ‘I’m done waiting my turn, I know it’s my time.’”“A lot of athletes have it, no matter what sport you’re playing, where you experience failure and now it’s like how do you come back from that failure?”This year Miller has shown the track world exactly what it means to come back from failure strong. With a world junior record in the 600 meters of 1:15.49, an American collegiate record in the indoor 800m of 1:45.24, and an Indoor NCAA Championship title in the 800m, there’s no question that Brandon Miller has once again transcended as an athlete. “I denitely think failure is huge when it comes to success because it’s that feeling that you don’t want to get again,” says Miller. “After trials I was tired of being overlooked, I was tired of being undervalued, so now the mentality this year is ‘I’m the one.’” Miller at SEC Championships. Photo Credit (Left to Right): Texas A&M Athletics, Jamison Michael
Photo Credit: Trey Gannon, Alex Mowrey
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 20Finding a Purpose Finding a Purpose Outside of RunningOutside of RunningBy Sarah HurstI want to begin by saying that I am still learning more everyday about injury, my body, and the recovery process of coming back to running. I don’t know it all, and I certainly know that I am not alone in the injury or recovery process that can be heartbreaking for so many athletes. I want to share my insights and hopefully help or relate to others who have had to deal with the hardships and isolation of being sidelined for multiple seasons. My love for running began eleven years ago. I remember toeing the line with my brother and his friends in little sprint races at our local track from the 100-meter mark, and running as hard as I could to win. I never limited myself, and I always gave myself a shot against the boys even if they were three years older than me. I never had that part in my brain that told me a challenge was too big for me. There is a balance between being realistic and dreaming big, like really big. A balance of both is ideal, but I think I’ve always been a big dreamer. To this day, I want to make it to the Olympics. It’s what keeps me going. I’ll never forget a quote I heard from a world class skier: “Never feel like you don’t have a chance, it’s up to you.” I joined the Dashers track and cross country club team in fth grade. It was there where I learned that running was fun and something I could be good at if I kept showing up. I was lucky to have met mentors and teammates that pushed me to be my best, and were gritty and worked hard. It is important to surround yourself in an environment of people you want to be like, because even if you don’t realize it, you become the average of those Hurst races Cross Country. Photo Credit: Alex Mowrey.
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 21people. In my case, I was lucky to be placed in the group that I was in at Dashers, and made friends with the kids that I ran with. They were people that didn’t make excuses. They wanted to work hard and be great while having fun with it, too, and that fanned my ame.Ever since I can remember starting to run, I never let go of it. It has always been a constant in my life. I just ran because it made me feel good, and I loved to beat other people. I think knowing that some-one else was better than me always kept me in the sport. I resented getting beat, and hated the feeling of losing, or not putting my absolute all into the sport. There was even a point in high school where I would nish a stren-uous workout or race and question if I could have tried even harder, and put more into it because I felt too comfortable at the end. I wanted to fall over that nish line. I watned to get so built up with lactic acid that I physically couldn’t move my legs anymore.I wanted to look up from the ground at the runners coming through the nish, barely making sense of anything in fatigue, and think to myself “that was my all, that was everything.” I thought it was the most rewarding feeling. It is what made me excel in the sport. Of course, I was at times afraid of the pain too, but reframing it as an exciting challenge, and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is something I think I always had. I was never the best in the state by any means, but being the best in the county, being close to medaling at state championships, and winning the league championships a few times was all I needed to taste success and that chasing urge to excel more. Throughout high school I chipped away at my goals each day, becoming better each year. I fell in love with the sport and the people that it had brought me. Pushing myself was one thing to love about running, but the relationships, adventures, and experiences that shaped me into who I am today, I will forever be grateful for.I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was lucky to be able to make it through all my years of running and training hard, having dodged injury and true hardships that come with the sport. Yes, I have experienced failures before. However, I never had to experience painfully sitting on the sidelines watching people race instead of me, standing at practice while everyone else ran circles around me warming up and working out when all I wanted in the world was to be there running with them.I never had to experience the thing that I loved being ripped away from me.This was all until October of 2021. Because running was so much of who I was, and how I dened myself and my hap-piness, the scariest thing for me was to stop running. So, when I began having pain in my left IT band, not only did I not realize how bad it could become by running full mileage on it, but I was also in deep denial of admitting to myself that I needed to stop running. Looking back on it now it sounds crazy, but I ended up running a full month on this pain, over 200 miles, of it getting progressively worse. On the last days of running before I had to stop because of my severe limp; I couldn’t even feel my left leg. Every step I took was a shooting numbing pain that ran up my leg.I felt as if I needed running to live. It sounds dramatic, but it is truthfully how I felt. I had such an attachment to my sport. This can be normal too, being a Division I athlete gets intense, and you can only last if you truly (and almost insanely) love what you do. At the same time however, it is important to nd ourselves and a purpose outside of our sport. It is so easy to dene ourselves and our purpose in this world with our per-formance in sports, but it is crucial to realize that behind the student and the athlete, we are humans who like hanging out with friends, going on adventures, going on drives, creating
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 22music, creating art, traveling, cooking, and so much more. It is essential to ground yourself in everything that makes you happy, and surround yourself with people that lift you up and love you regardless of running status and times. We deserve to live a life that we enjoy, and I think that can be hard if we put all our eggs in one basket. Life can be so simple depending on how you perceive it. I got my MRI on the morning of November 11th, and even though I was in a lot of pain, and could barely walk, hobbling around everywhere on campus, I was shocked with the news that I got. I had never experienced injury before, and I thought that if I had something as bad as I did then it would be the most painful thing ever. It turned out that I had a grade-four fracture in my left femur which is the most severe fracture level in the biggest bone in my body. I was told that it was the worst fracture she has ever seen here in her 16 years working at Pitt, and that my femur was close to being broken in half. If my femur were to have broken in half, I would have to get an intensive surgery to get a rod inserted into my femur, and I would never be able to run competitively again. This was crazy to me. Going into the training room that day I thought it’d be rare if they even found anything, but coming out of that room I was honestly traumatized with the news. It was quite literally the worst news possible. I remember the orthopedic surgeon even saying fractures like mine are seen in people who get hit by buses. The next three months I was directed to use crutches and was told that I could do no exercise whatsoever. After a reevalua-tion, I would be able to know if my bone healed enough to be allowed to start swimming as cross training in the beginning of January. Looking back at it now, three months doesn’t even sound like that long, but at the moment, it was difcult for me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This absolutely sucked. It was a complete contrast to what I was used to. I went from running seven miles a day, 55 miles a week, having the time of my life at practice every day running with my friends, to doing absolutely nothing for three months. It felt like my whole world was crashing down on me. I had just tasted college running and the potential that I had coming into the fall in the best shape of my life. It was hard to be knocked off the pedestal to embark on a completely opposite journey. At the peak of my injury’s suckiness I journaled a lot, which did help. I kept imagining my future running self looking back on what I wrote and acknowledging how far I have come. I made a notes tab on my phone titled “I miss” and began Hurst in Pitt quarter zip. Photo Credit: Trey Gannon.
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 23listing off things I missed about running. “I miss the sweaty hugs, I miss the nervous dgeting in the team huddle before the big dance, I miss getting told good job, I miss pulling my teammates along, I miss ying when I run, and I miss getting goosebumps from excitement.”It’s okay to allow yourself to be sad, process the heartbreak, embrace the suckiness. But it’s also important to accept the new reality, and get going on what you can do. There is always something you can do, and there is always something to be grateful for. I learned to be grateful for the things that I did have in my life. My amazing team and support group of coaches and trainers were all with me along my journey coming back from injury. Even though at rst it was hard for me to come and watch practice and write down splits with how much I wanted to be out there, it became the best part of my day. Being able to lift others up, and support my team like they have for me was something so special. It taught me that I don’t need to be running fast to contribute to the team. I didn’t need to be running fast to have a purpose, or an impact.Believing that I would have the comeback of a lifetime really red up my recovery-cross training journey that I am still working through today six months later. My injury is a char-acter-building experience that I have learned a lot from and am still learning today. Before my injury, I used to tell people all the time that I was a person outside of running, and that running did not dene me. I believed it too, until it was taken away from me, and I was absolutely lost. I guess you could say I had to learn the hard way. With the extra time I had from not running or working out, not only did I grow closer with others on the team that were not in my previous training group, but I also learned that I am capable of living life without running. Although obviously not by choice, not running for a while made me realize other things that I enjoyed that were not running related. I really liked going for walks, learning to cook better, trying new coffee shops, and even writing poetry. I learned that to get over this, I had to go through it. I found that taking it day by day, and focusing on the little wins in the injury recovery process was key. My teammates helped me recognize and celebrate those little victories too. If I get to swim for 30 minutes today, it’s like “wow I get to hop in the pool and work out my body for 30 minutes.” For the record I do think swimming sucks, but if it is what I can do right now and what I can do to get better and get back out there, I am going to do it and get after it. Patience was a skill I had to learn that pained and frustrated me. If patience was a person, it was a thorn in my side. Being surrounded by runners and DI athletes everyday is sometimes difcult because I nd myself often comparing my running journey and where I am at with others. Whether that be with athletes on social media or teammates, I had to frequently remind myself that my journey was different, and soon enough I would be out there clicking off intervals at workouts again. My body needed a break, and that is okay. It is temporary, everybody is different, and comebacks are possible. Sometimes a deep breath and a reminder to take things day by day, slowly chipping away, kept me grounded. As runners and athletes sometimes we want it so bad, and are so passionate about our sport that it is so frustrating to have to wait, but greatness requires patience, and does not The Long Run. We Stampede, loudHearts pound Stomachs growlHungry wolves Chasing, racingHer sweat beaded Red ery eyesRapid, rushing, crisp river Ignition key ignitesready to pounce A Clock-work towerNo time perception Her hair ows, fast feetGold waterfall swirled We ran to our own rhythm Silently we hunted- Sarah Hurst
24Photo Credit: Adam Weyer, Colin Schultz @theschultzee, Shannon Tompson
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May 2022 The Oval Magazine 26Oval Athlete ProfileOval Athlete ProfileCael GrotenhuisCael GrotenhuisBy Adam WeyerNAU Freshman Cael Grotenhuis has been running every day since he rst started running the gym class mile at Slinger Elementary School, a small school in South-Eastern Wisconsin. Like many other kids, Grotenhuis played various other sports but excelled at running. After joining the cross country team in middle school, Grotenhuis started to nd success. “I started winning a lot of races and it was like an addicting feeling. I’ve decided to stick with it ever since. Whatever I decided to do I decided to go all-in on,” Grotenhuis said. As a result of going all in, Grotenhuis ended his high school career with a state title in the 1,600 meters and as a three-time state runner-up. In the fall of 2021, Grotenhuis started attending Northern Arizona University and training with what he called one of the best training groups in the world.Recently, Grotenhuis founded Seek Athletics, a personalized coaching program for middle school and high school distance runners. Grotenhuis passionately feels he has valuable advice and knowledge he’s acquired from the people around him that he could bring to high school athletes. “I really wish I had a mentor like that to guide me when I was in high school,” Grotenhuis said.Grotenhuis is interested in coaching in the future and hopes to motivate the next generation of runners. They could, “go on to running at the next level if that’s what they’re looking for,” Grotenhuis said. “It could really change their outlook on running.”Grotenhuis was looking for a way to stay off his feet for recovery while also nding a exible way of making money to support himself to buy things like higher quality food.He, like many other runners, wants to take his running career to the greatest length possible. “I’m just focused on the right now of dialing in training and trying to see what I can do this year next year and trying to maximize that potential before I start thinking about [running professionally],” Grotenhuis said. His biggest advice for aspiring runners is to not be afraid to try hard. “A lot of times it’s made not cool to be the guy that tries hard and does every little thing correctly,” Grotenhuis said. “Don’t be scared to do things differently than someone else on your team because you wanna do well.”Grotenhuis races for NAU. Photo Credit: Colin Schultz, @theschultzee
27Photo Credit: Boston Marathon on Instagram, @bostonmarathon
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 28Boston, the Greatest Marathon Boston, the Greatest Marathon in the World in the World By Callum ElsonChecking in at my hotel, I smile at a man wearing a jacket which reads ‘Boston Marathon 2013.’ Despite marking a year that was memorable for the wrong reasons, I sense the pride he has in showcasing that he’s completed the great race before. I feel similar as I proudly zip up my own coat, which is printed with ‘Media’ across the chest. There’s something about being part of this event that feels special. In this, per-haps, lies the reason that endless queues seem to stream from the Adidas merchandise stands, each runner marking the occasion with a new purchase, ready to show off to the world for many years to come. It is Boston after all, the great-est marathon in the world. As people disperse out of the Expo, an endless array of seles are ready to hit social media. For most, this is the big day. A day that represents a mental and emotional journey as much as it does a block of physical training. For the young family I met in a nearby Starbucks the day before the race, the trip to Boston had been booked over a year in advance. In that time, the father had failed to get the qualifying time – but his wife, who spoke little English, smiled anx-iously as I wished her good luck for the race. The 4829-mile journey from Brazil to run for 26.2 miles is a state-ment of the draw that Boston has for runners around the world. That’s a long way to come for a race. Yet, tourists ock in their thousands to pound the pavements of this his-toric marathon course. A course which, in many regards, isn’t all that impressive. It doesn’t hold world records like Berlin, lacks the iconic landmarks of London, and isn’t as flat as Rotterdam, Manchester, Tokyo, and more. So, why Boston? Well, this city breathes running. From the police ofcers to the garbage men, Bostonians understand what this event means to their great city. It is more than just a race. Where you might imagine angry drivers, impatient locals and a sense of frustration at the 30,000 runners descending on the city over the Easter weekend – instead there isn’t the faintest sense of tension in the air. The city is welcoming and posi-tive. Cafés and bars spill out into the street, hotels are fully booked, and the food vendors on Boston Common are sell-ing out of ice cream. The local economy is thriving, and the reason is running. On race day, the atmosphere suffers little change. Lines of school buses shuttle runners out of the city to the start line in Hopkinton. Friends and family wave them goodbye, each with their own plan for spectating, holding high hopes of seeing their loved ones make it to the nish. Positioned on Boylston less than one hundred meters from the end, I wait as the sidelines begin to ll with supporters. It’ll be over Women on the start line at Boston. Photo Credit: Carley Crain
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 29an hour until the rst nishers appear and even longer for the masses to eventually arrive, yet the crowds grow with momentum as the noise and excitement begins to build. Tens become hundreds, which become thousands as the lead runners make their approach. It’s at this point that you realize how special it must be to nish this race. Kenyan, Ethiopian, British, American. Man, woman, wheel-chair athlete, or fancy dress fun runner – it doesn’t matter who is arriving at the nish, the crowd only seems to get louder. Occasionally, the announcer bellows the name of a local Massachusetts nisher, which only brings more energy from the patriotic supporters. This is a celebration of anyone and everyone that has completed the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton. Anyone that has braved the rolling hills, survived the April sunshine, and battled the inevitable winds deserves to be welcomed back into the city in style. That’s exactly what they’re getting here in Boston. A non-stop urry of runners stream through the nishing straight, each having overcome their own battles to make it this far. For some the emotion is clear to see, with st-pumps and tears present in equal measure as they cross the line one by one. For others, an emotionless and bewildered look is all they can muster, as exhaustion takes over and they collect their medals as if nothing has happened. It’ll be a few minutes before the achievement begins to set in. Finally, there are those who feel an overwhelming sense of disappoint-ment. Coming up short of their target times, fall-ing victim to illness and injury, likely to feel no sense of pride despite making it to the end. Our sport is often focused on outcomes. Success is a judgment passed on the nal des-tination, overlooking the individual journey that every athlete takes in the pursuit of their goals. In an event mea-sured using time, we forget that sometimes just making the nish line represents a story far more complex than any numbers on the clock can tell. As athletes, brands, media outlets, and fans of the sport, we can all do more to tell real stories from real people – showcasing the true power that running has to change lives and create everlasting memories. Top to bottom: women on the start line, men racing, women on the starrt line. Photo credits: Carley Crain
30Photo Credit: Brooks running, Carley Crain
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May 2022 The Oval Magazine 32Arizona State University alumnus CJ Alberston has taken the American marathon scene by storm. His outstanding performance at the 2022 Boston Marathon earned him a spot in the top three American nishers with an ofcial time of 2:10:23. Albertson is no stranger to the marathon. He’s the indoor marathon (that’s 150 laps) world record holder (2019; 2:17:59) and briey held the 50K world record in 2020 after running 125 laps on an outdoor track in 2:42:30. Safe to say CJ Albertson does not get dizzy. Leading up to Boston, the Brooks-sponsored athlete was gar-nering attention from across the country for his non-traditional (not that non-traditional in his opinion) approach to marathon training that he shared publicly on Strava. We caught up with Albertson to hear more about his career as a runner and coach at Clovis College, and his experience at Boston.QA&CJ AlbertsonYou set multiple school records while you were running at Arizona State University, but you weren’t really a marathoner. What inspires your post-collegiate marathon career? Just enjoying running. The marathon is this big event that people just kind of “do”, even people that have never run before, it’s open to everyone. When I moved back to my hometown [after college], I wanted to do my hometown marathon, just because I like to run and I wanted to train for something casually.How has coaching changed your relationship with running? Coaching overall has taken some pressure o my personal running. In college, I felt like running was a big deal, I always wanted to perform well and train hard. When I started coaching I was more focused on helping people enjoy the sport and learn what it takes to be good. Now, running isn’t this intimidating thing where I have to hit these hard workouts, it feels more casual now that I’m coaching. What are some of the core pillars of your coaching philosophy?Being consistent, especially leading with emotional consistency. Physical consistency comes with mental and emotional consistency. As a coach, I try not to be too emotional regardless of how my athletes perform and, hopefully, that translates to them so they can take things day by day. Why the marathon? I ran an OTQ (Olympic Trials Qualifying time) at the World Indoor Marathon Challenge in April 2019 (2:17:59) and felt confident coming o only 3 months of training. From there, I kind of flipped the switch to focus on my Trials performance and chasing a faster time. It felt casual continuing with it, and I enjoyed training, it just felt natural to keep running. Do you have plans to expand beyond the marathon and try ultra-running?Eventually I think I could have some success in ultra races. They’re races I’d be good at, but there’s not too many of them. There would never be a full switch because then I’d have to do trails, and I’m not really skilled with trail races. I’d like to do the 50k and the 100 mile on the roads, though. I’d definitely dabble in it but right now the focus is on the marathon. A lot of professional athletes aren’t as public with their training CJ Albertson Shakes up the CJ Albertson Shakes up the American Marathon Scene American Marathon Scene By Sarah Moxham
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 33on platforms like Strava as you are. How does sharing your training impact your training, if at all? Do you think it impacts competition? I’ve had a Strava account for years, so it’s not that I’m actively putting my training out there, it’s just there. It motivates me more than it hinders me in any way. There’s always a mental aspect of racing when you’re trying to beat people, and you can always use things to your advantage — sometimes the pressure from Strava helps me in some way because everyone can see my performance. Walk us through your build to Boston. What was on your mind? How do you tackle nerves and stay focused on your goals? It was almost unexpectedly good. In January, I was pretty out of shape and not running well at all. I started focusing on training and getting better and at one point, it all just started to click about 7-8 weeks out from the race. I was training really well and hit some good workouts and good long runs. It built on itself week after week. The last month [before Boston], every workout I was doing clicked, I had never run that fast before. I was probably in the best shape of my life. It was very public what I was doing, so everyone kind of knew I was in pretty good shape and some pressure came with that because a lot of people were talking about me before the race, and that has never really happened before. People knew me from last year at Boston, and in combination with my training leading up to this year’s race there was a lot of buzz. That was my first time experiencing that. I felt a little nervous, but I think I would have felt that regardless. When you know you’re in good shape, there’s a little more pressure on the race because if you don’t do well it hurts a little bit more.There was really only one option and that was to run really good because I had built up to such good shape. Your mentality going into Boston was super competitive and erce, where does this come from?Everyone runs faster in a pack with people there to push you. I also run better when I’m near the front, and taking the lead helps keep me engaged mentally. At Boston, I wasn’t necessarily trying to take the lead— a lot of runners in the elite field slow down when they hit the downhills and I don’t like to run that way, it’s not the best way for me to perform my best. I found myself in the lead by default and I just kind of kept the same eort throughout. You’re not currently training with a group, do you see yourself looking for a training group or do you prefer to train solo? I like training alone, it’s how I’ve trained for the past few years. There’s always times when it’s hard to get out there and run but you kind of get used to it. I like having others with me on the track for speed workouts, but on my long runs I like being alone. Plus, realistically, there’s not anyone [in the U.S] that would run with me on my long runs. Everyone thinks my long runs are kind of crazy fast anyways, but I really don’t mind pushing myself for the longer eorts. Reecting on your Boston performance, where are you setting your next horizon? Boston was encouraging in a way. My finish was disappointing, but it was also the first race where I can walk away from it and feel confident in my next performance. I know there’s some tweaks I can make in training to reach my dreams, like setting the American record.I still don’t really know what happened with the finish, my muscles were not relaxing and I felt like I still had gas to go but it just wasn’t happening. Looking at how other people were finishing, it felt reasonable for me to place fifth, so to not be able to race that last 4.5 miles the way I wanted was disappointing.Every other marathon that I’ve been in shape for I have finished well. It’s normal for people to have a blow up at some point in their career in the marathon, but I’ve never had one at a major race like this. I’m definitely excited for the future and ready to see where things go from here. Albertson races at Boston. Photo Credit: Carley Crain
34Photo Credit: Ashley Corcoran
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 35A Helping HandA Helping HandAshley Corcoran’s Journey to Ashley Corcoran’s Journey to Accepting Weight Gain and her Accepting Weight Gain and her Changing Body Changing Body By Carley Crain TW: This article discusses eating disorders, disordered eating habits, and weight acceptance. Ashley Corcoran used to fall into the dark hole of social media: doom scrolling, comparison, or posting certain content for external validation. But now, Corcoran has made it her mission to promote a healthy and balanced lifestyle on her social media platforms to spread the advice she wishes she could tell her younger self. Once Corcoran started running seriously her freshman year of college at Southern New Hampshire University, she decided to create her Instagram page @_runners.eats. But at that time of starting her account, fueling was new to her – and somewhat confusing. “I didn’t really understand the fueling process and what a runner actually needs to compete at a high level. Distance runners and athletes in general just need more food in gen-eral than the average person.”A diagnosis of an eating disorder can be very helpful to some athletes who struggle with maintaining a healthy relation-ship with food. But for others like Corcoran, she never got a diagnosis, which made it seem like nothing was wrong to the outside world. When Corcoran started to drop weight when running became her main sport, nobody questioned it at rst. The “small equals fast” mentality is so deep-rooted within women’s dis-tance running that it was easy to ignore her evolving body.It wasn’t until an annual doctor’s appointment that Corcoran realized that something was wrong. When she stepped on the scale her doctor was concerned and advised Corcoran to gain weight in order to continue to run collegiately. “She was like, you are not going to be able to run if you can’t gain weight because it is just not healthy. I was like ‘oh, crap, I have to do something or else I would not be able to do what I love.’” The process of accepting weight gain was an uphill battle for Corcoran. She knew that weight gain was necessary, but the negative thoughts in her head were like a swarm of bees attacking repeatedly and not stopping.“My mood was just in the dumps. I would cry a lot for no reason, I was so emotional and just sad. I wasn’t a happy person at that time and didn’t realize it in the moment.” Making strides to better her mental health was the best deci-sion Corcoran could have made to help recover from her toxic eating habits. Corcoran eventually realized that neglecting self-care was not benecial to her success or health. She now always makes sure to set aside time for herself, like journaling every morning. Corcoran races. Photo Credit: Corcoran’s Instagram
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 36“A lot of people think that doing things for your mental health is supposed to be this huge thing, but really it is just taking time to do stuff that you love outside of school, running, etc. Anything that makes you feel good is self care to me.”Corcoran’s old habits have left a trail behind her and like to creep up on her from time to time, which has been challeng-ing to navigate. Corcoran still has yet to have a normal period every month, and has tried many methods to regulate her cycle. It’s still a mystery why it has not come back yet, and her period potentially might not be regular until after she stops running, which has prompted the necessary, but difcult question: Is running worth not having a period?Corcoran’s relationship with food and running has improved drastically after taking back control over her mental health. She now has over 19,000 followers on her Instagram, and offers guidance to athletes who may be in similar situations. Since coming to terms with her underfueling, Corcoran has been crushing it on the track, especially this past season. During this year’s indoor season, Corcoran became an ofcial part of the sub-5 mile club, as she clocked in a speedy 4:51 mile at the NEICAAA Indoor track and eld championship.This spring, the 3,000 meter steeplechase has become her main event. Corcoran dropped her personal best to a nationally ranked time of 10:23, and continues to improve throughout the season. To see success on the track or trails, Corcoran learned that she couldn’t shy away from her internal struggles with food, body image, and weight. In facing these issues, Corcoran has experienced liberation as her focus is now on having fun, instead of being solely performance-based. Corcoran races. Photo Credits: Corcoran’s Instagram
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 39Finding her Finding her Place Within Place Within the Pack the Pack Sam BushSam BushBy Kileigh KaneSam Bush, a junior at North Carolina State University, is a two-time NCAA DI All-American who, with personal records of 15:45 in the 5000 meters and 8:54 in the 3000 meters, has presented herself as an elite level talent amongst collegiate runners. “I y under the radar,” Bush said. “I’m not what people think when they think of NC State.” NC State has distinguished itself as one of the top DI running programs in the country with rst-class training that focuses heavily on both intensity and aerobic ability, which Bush said has resulted in individual and team success. NC State has brought in some of the top high school pros-pects in the last few years and the team has developed into one of the deepest in the NCAA. The university has become known for the strong mindset of the running program: The Pack Mentality. The Wolfpack wants to win. By building on their teamwork and working together as a pack they knew it would be possible to achieve their program goal: to win the national title in cross country. The team’s determination has normalized working hard and not taking the easy route. The Wolfpack women knew that strengthening their bonds and working as a team would drive them to success. It’s this strong mentality of the Pack that enabled them to bring home a national title in cross country this past fall. The push to be champions has created so much depth within their team that Bush wasn’t even sure she’d compete at the national championship meet until she was on the starting line. During the nal kilometer of the race, one thing was going Bush races. Photo Credit: Joe Hale, @jkh_photo
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 40through her mind, “do this for your team.” Bush did just that and ended up as an All-American celebrat-ing the team championship title she had helped win. The accolades and depth are all thanks to coach Laurie Henes, whose ability to develop talent and produce elite athletes is nothing short of remarkable. Henes has brought in top-tier talent to her roster, such as standouts Katelyn Tuohy and Kelsey Chmiel. While competing with runners of that caliber may be daunt-ing to some, Bush said she was excited. She knew that NC State’s ability to bring in top-notch athletes would provide a new way for her to push herself. And it did. Due to Tuohy and Chmiel’s no-nonsense attitude and tenacity when it comes to training, the team found themselves really pushing each other to help each other succeed. Bush said their different personalities helped balance each other out in training. Bush’s outlook on racing and training changed dramatically between the 2021 outdoor and cross country seasons. Due to the pandemic, she had trouble caring about racing as she didn’t see races in her future. When her sophomore outdoor season rolled around, she decided she was done with under-performing. After talking with her coach and explaining that she didn’t want to be mediocre, she decided to cut her season short and begin focusing on the 2021 cross country season. A decision that has benetted her thus far. With racing back to somewhat normal, Bush knew she had to go all in. She bumped up her mileage and began taking training more seriously. This new change in attitude gave her the seasons she had been hoping for. After ending her cross country season with her rst All-American honors, she went on to break her school record in the 3000 meters along with teammate Katelyn Tuohy – a favorite memory of hers, not only because of the new program record, but because she was able to do it with a friend. The drive continued for Bush and with that came another All-American nish at the NCAA Indoor Championships and shiny new personal bests during the spring 2022 outdoor season. Bush chose NC State because she wanted a team that would provide enough fun and seriousness to make training enjoyable. With her own hard work and the help of the pack, she’s been able to accomplish goals she once thought were unreachable, all the while appreciating the liveliness of her teammates. Left: Bush races. Right: Bush on the podium at the ACC Championships. Photo Credits: NCSU Athletics
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 42It’s Not My FaultIt’s Not My Fault Anonymous TW: This article discusses sexual assault, rape, blood, depression, disordered eating, and other potentially triggering topics. Read with caution.I was completely frozen as his ngers brushed against my knee, up to my thigh, under my shorts. I felt a chill down my spine as his hand lingered there. Part of me was holding in tears, but the other part of me was confused. “Doesn’t it feel good?” he asked with a smirk on his face. I was 17 years old when I was sexually assaulted by my high school track and eld coach. Two years prior when I was 15, I was outed to my parents over the phone by the same school. I came home after that phone call to arguing, door-slamming, and the most painful looks of disappointment. I wasn’t allowed to hang out with friends or stay after school, and my mother adorned my night table with holy water and other Catholic items that I shoved under my bed. This was my rst year at a new school and I was already not allowed to leave the house or even try to make friends. All because I was caught holding hands with a girl. Lunch became daunting because I had nobody to sit with, so I quickly became familiar with the various bathroom stalls on campus and picked a favorite to eat at every day. I followed this lunch routine for the rest of that year, all through junior year, and then by senior year I stopped eating altogether. Whether I was eating, not eating, or just simply existing; I felt ashamed. In fact, I was overcome by shame at every waking moment.My history teacher during my junior year happened to be the head track and eld coach, and after a year of pleading for me to join, I caved and signed up for the rst day of cross country. I quickly fell in love with the sport and started eating again in order to fuel and run my best. I still can’t put into words how running makes me feel, but I loved it then and I love it just as much to this day, if not more. Not long after starting, I got a hip injury and couldn’t run with-out a sharp pain that would run down my leg. My head coach suggested time off, but our assistant coach insisted on provid-ing treatment using his physiotherapy license. He stretched me out on the eld and massaged my upper thigh, throwing out theories as to what this could be. We quickly struck up a conversation about running and biology; two things I loved talking about. I looked up to his expertise and passion for the sciences, and his accolades as a pre-professional runner. One day after practice he turned to me and said, “What if I told you that you didn’t have to take time off and could run pain free?”I laughed at the idea because it seemed silly. He took two small white pills out of his pocket and told me to take them three hours before practice, and I would be able to run through the injury. I asked what it was, and he explained that it was “like Tylenol.” I trusted him, and I took the pills that day. This became a daily thing as he started giving them to me daily. I remember one meet when he put four of them in my spike bag and told me to take them, which I did. I ran my slowest 1500m race and couldn’t understand why I felt so nauseated and dizzy. I spent the rest of the meet hunched over the toilet until sunset when the bus was getting ready to leave. This was my rst time getting high, and I didn’t even know that until recently looking back. This was the start of a downward spiral of an opioid addiction I kept hidden from everyone for
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 43years, but I didn’t know this at the time. Something inside me wanted to impress this assistant coach and I became his “project”. He was invested in my running and I appreciated the attention I was getting. I shook my ability to question and he took advantage of that. Months ew by as he started opening up to a young 17-year-old me more and more. I learned of his current drug addiction and ongoing health problems, and he went on about how helping me run well was making him feel good. Little did I know he was sucking me down right with him. He invited me over to his place for dinner and I agreed, my mother did too. She was excited that I was hanging out with a “boy”, despite him being over ten years older than me, and my coach. She had met him before and asked me why I didn’t date him.“I have a science experiment for us,” he said to me as I scraped off the last bits of rice on my plate. I was excited and asked him what it was. He walked me over to his freezer and told me not to freak out. I told him how nothing freaked me out and how just that morning I had dis-sected a fetal pig in my biology class. He opened the freezer door and revealed two large bags of what looked like frozen blood. My stomach dropped but I was adamant about keeping my composure and impressing him with my maturity. What we went on to do, which again, I didn’t realize until recently, was blood doping. He walked me through every step and I robotically did every-thing he asked. I reintroduced the blood into his body as he talked me through every step. I don’t remember exactly what happened or how I got through that, but I still wake up in a pool of sweat from nightmares about that night. Every now and then I get ashes of red in my head when I’m doing homework, warming up at practice, or even talking to some-one. The scenes from that night resembled that of a murder movie, and they are engrained in my head forever. After cleaning up, he casually put on a movie and plopped himself next to me as I sat rigidly on the edge of his couch. I was in such shock that I hadn’t yet processed what had just happened. As the movie played and my mind wandered through space, I noticed that his body was uncomfortably close to mine. His hand creeped its way onto my knee and he gently stroked my upper leg. “I hope this is okay,” he said as I kept my eyes glued to the screen. I was completely frozen, and didn’t say a word. I thought that if I didn’t say no, that it wouldn’t count as rape. I was not about to get raped. His hand creeped up my legs and in between them, under my shorts. I felt his dry ngers wander wherever they wanted and everywhere I didn’t want them. I blinked through tears and kept my eyes glued to the screen, yet I still can’t even recall what movie was playing. The events of this night were repeated over and over again, and I fell into a deep, dark hole I am only now coming out of. Every night I showered and scrubbed my entire body over and over again, going through countless bars of soap and rubbing my skin raw. In my head I kept reminding myself that I never said no, so that it was my own fault. For over ve years I conditioned myself to think that I was the one who got myself into this.I started college in 2018 and walked onto the DI track and eld team I’m still on. I showed up malnourished from disor-dered eating and addicted to the small white pills this man had been giving me. Nobody knew any of this except for me, and my rst year of college was easily the loneliest and most isolating of all. I hadn’t yet processed all that had happened to me and I was simultaneously juggling school, running, addiction recovery, and eating disorder recovery. I ran through every season still thinking about what had happened to me throughout my last year of high school. I am now a senior and still running on the team, still coming to terms with what happened to me as a young runner. As a child.I don’t think the night sweats or ashbacks will ever leave me completely alone, but I am slowly learning that the little voice telling me “it was your fault” is and was always wrong. My 16 and 17-year old self was scared, ashamed, and hurt beyond words. Nothing was her fault. Nothing is my fault.
Photo Credit: Phil Ponder
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 45Family means everything to Cam Ponder. A fraternal twin, the Furman star’s family has been close-knit his whole life, with his dad taking pictures of him and his sister every step along the way.“Literally since my twin sister and I were born, he just got into photography. He said, ‘I’m going to capture everything.’ On his website he has a family album and he has an album for every year of our lives, like Cam and Carly best of 2000, 2001, 2002, all the way. Until 2018 when we graduated and went to school.”Thus, when it came time for the former Mount Tabor standout to pick where to attend college in 2017, that sense of family drove his decision-making process. Pursued by a who’s who of top distance programs–Northern Arizona University, Stanford University, and Ole Miss were among his myriad suitors–Ponder could have gone anywhere in the country. Yet he opted for Furman University, a program he describes as a “David vs. Goliath.” Even though it produced top distance talents, with current professional runners Aaron Templeton (Tinman Elite) and Frank Lara (Roots Running) on the team when Ponder committed, it lacked the clout of the aforemen-tioned universities. Why did Ponder choose Furman? The answer’s simple: family. “It’s a very small team and that just creates a very tight knit group. We do everything together… It just feels like a family, you know we all have really good connections with one another and we get along great,” explains Ponder. “And just the coaches, our women’s coach is married to our men’s coach like it’s just one great big family, and we all get along great and really bring each other up when we’re down and keep each other level-headed.”Almost ve years have passed since that groundbreaking commitment, and in those ve years, Ponder’s decision has been justied–and then some. Under the guidance of coach Robert Gary, Ponder has qualied for NCAA Indoor Nationals in the 3000 meters twice and for NCAA Cross Country Nationals once, in addition to posting PRs of 3:59.34 in the mile, 7:50.97 in the 3000 meter race (on a at track), and 8:44.63 in the 3000 meter steeplechase. Further, Furman has qualied for three straight NCAA Cross Country Championships, though Ponder still considers the program an underdog.And along the way, as Ponder committed to the Paladins for their family environment, he contributed to it both guratively and literally. The Furman senior credits the team’s egalitarian environment, in which everyone from seniors to freshmen is empowered to speak up, for both the team culture and his development as a leader.“Every year, I think I’ve grown as a leader. Coming in, I was a freshman when Aaron [Templeton] and Frank [Lara] were seniors. So to have those guys as your leaders, the culture is going to be great, the guys are going to love each other. They really set the example,” details Ponder. “That’s really just continued every year. Some of the older guys have stepped up to take that role, but in the same sense, I feel like I had a voice as a freshman, I had a voice as a sophomore. I think it’s just collective leadership, like we don’t have set captains on our team. We feel everyone has a voice and, of course, you have those guys who are going to be the more outspoken, but I feel like we have a great balance where everyone has something to say, everyone can contribute in making our team culture better. It’s denitely a group effort, but I think personally I move into that outspoken leadership role every year.” Ponder races for Furman. Photo Credits: Phil PonderFamily FirstFamily FirstCam PonderCam PonderBy Joe Cullen
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 46Moreover, as Ponder has enjoyed his biggest triumphs, his biggest supporter–his dad–has been by his side, further cre-ating a family atmosphere at a program in which the distance coaches are married. Continuing his photography hobby, Phil Ponder has taken pictures at Cam’s meets, emerging as one of the most prominent photographers in the track world. He even got to take pictures as his son crossed the nish line and broke the elusive four-minute barrier for the rst time in the mile, a moment between father and son which Cam remembers fondly:“He got a shot of me crossing the nish line. But then I ran over and he didn’t get the true aftermath [of the race] because I went over and just tackled him, just gave him a hug.”Ponder considers it the “most special moment of my career,” fondly stating, “that’s something I’m going to be telling my kids and grandkids about.” Though that rst sub-four mile was a dening moment in the Furman senior’s career, it may only prove to be the tip of the iceberg. Ponder has great range, and though that versatility across events has proven to be useful for the Furman pro-gram, both the runner and his coaches believe that he might unlock another gear by focusing primarily on one event:.“I told my coach I want to be a great. So he says, ‘Okay. You tell me that, I’m gonna tell you this: You’re a jack of all trades, but you’re a master of none. So let’s get you to master an event,” recounts Ponder of that conversation with his coach.“So that’s really what I’m working towards right now, the stee-plechase. My training right now is being tailored to steeple. A couple days a week I’m going over hurdles, I’m doing all these steeple drills, and I’m learning from the Coach, who, I think, is the best steeplechase coach in the country.” With this realization in mind, Ponder has large goals for him-self and his team the next couple years as he spends his fth year of eligibility at Furman. “Next cross-country season, I want to go back to NCAA Nationals with the team and become an All-American. And then for track next year, I want to win a title in the 3000.I feel like I’ll be ready to do that with this experience I’ve had the past two years, and I want to be a national champion before I leave. I want to take a couple of teammates with me. I have a steeplechase partner who is already talking about kicking my ass in a couple weeks,” laughs Ponder as he recounts a conversation with teammate Carson Williams.“And he is very capable of doing so and he’s just a sophomore so if we can go like one-two [in the steeplechase at nationals], I think it’s possible.” What might the future hold for Ponder after his fth year of eligibility? He is not yet sure, choosing to remain focused on his time at Furman. Nonetheless, the North Carolina native oats one lofty goal, a logical next step for the distance star. “And then, if the opportunity presents itself I’d love to run professionally,” states Ponder with his characteristic quiet condence. Before he does that, though, he has some boxes he needs to check off with his Furman family. Ponder and his dad. Photo Credit: Phil Ponder
47Photo Credit: Jon Green
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 48On the RiseOn the RiseVerde Track ClubVerde Track ClubBy Sarah MoxhamYou may know Jon Green as Olympic bronze medal-ist Molly Seidel’s coach, or as a proud Georgetown University alum (go Hoyas). Now, there’s another reason to have him on your radar. Green recently founded Verde Track Club after moving to Flagstaff, AZ, to focus on training Seidel and expand his reach into coaching amateurs. The club borrows its name from Camp Verde, AZ, where the group does many of their workouts, and of course, from Green’s own last name. “Molly and I have thrown around the idea of Verde TC since we started working together. We both decided this was the time to make it a reality,” explains Green. Verde TC has since added Emily Infeld and Grayson Murphy to the group, and hopes to continue to grow.“I think this is something pretty special we have with the women on board right now and I’m just excited to continue having it grow with the right people,” says Green. Verde TC joins a number of smaller, more personalized train-ing groups that are cropping up across the world of elite running. Names that come to mind include Very Nice Track Club, Union Athletics, Tinman Elite, and Team Bosshard. Left: Green and Seidel. Right: Green. Photo Credit: Jon Green
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 49While the elite athletes very much rely on sponsorships as a form of income and support, the idea that training groups need not to be centered around sponsorship is becoming more mainstream, and with demonstrated success. “Over the years I think you see more instances of more diverse sponsorship situations like the Bosshard group where there’s athletes training together from all different sponsors and coming together in one spot to train together,” explains Green. “It’s about the athletes nding the best training situ-ation for themselves at the end of the day.”Prior to founding Verde TC, Green wore many hats. Alongside coaching Seidel full time, Green also worked with Mary Cain in developing her startup, Atalanta NYC. Green coached their elite athletes including Aoibhe Richardson, James Morrisey and Kristen Nelson, in addition to providing coaching and guidance for amateur runners. “When Mary explained what Atalanta was doing in November, 2020, it was something that was really exciting to me,” remem-bers Green. “… I was able to grow with that startup and…I was able to watch Mary adapt to changing situations and keep moving forward.”Atalanta provided Green more exposure to coaching amateur athletes, which is fundamentally important to the mission of Verde TC. The club offers training plans and coaching for runners of all levels, opening up the opportunity to interact with a world-class coach. While expanding his reach to amateurs, Green remains focused on nurturing elite talent. As the USATF Outdoor Championships approach, he is zeroing in on encouraging Infeld and Murphy to perform their best, while staying focused on what matters most: having fun. “I want to make sure we are consistent in training and having fun doing it. If we don’t have one of those parts, usually the other one isn’t happening either. My main focus is really on competing well, enjoying training, and staying healthy,” explains Green. We’ve already seen the power of Green’s coaching in Seidel’s skyrocketing to the upper echelon of the American and Olympic marathon scene. Now, audiences can turn their attention to the USATF Outdoor Championships (and hope-fully World Championships) to see Green’s methodology come to life in Infeld and Murphy’s performances. Green and Seidel at the Olympics. Photo Credit: Jon Green
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 51Running up Boylston Street, Allie Jacques took it all in–the large crowds cheering loudly with handmade posters and cowbells, the bright CITGO sign next to Fenway, her family on the sidelines tracking the entire race, and then, the nish line: a strip of road she has dreamed of crossing ever since she started running in 2018. Boston was and always has been the goal for Jacques. The 26.2 mile course that stretches from Hopkinton, Massachusetts to downtown Boston has been on Jacques mind since she was little, as she cited the giant CITGO sign at mile 25 that was painted on the walls of her childhood bedroom.It was time for Jacques to come back home and run her dream race– and not just in the typical kind of way. Jacques decided she would raise money for the Boston Bruins Foundation, a sports team she has always been a fan of as an avid New England homebody. For Jacques, sports have been a part of her life since she took her rst steps. After choosing to move on from varsity athletics after high school, Jacques knew that a new sport was calling her name: so she decided to lace up her sneakers and go for a run. “In college, after playing sports my whole life, I was looking for something to feed that same craving I would get after a long day of games, so I started running,” explained Jacques. “1 mile turned into 5 and soon I signed up for my rst half marathon. I began to love the race scene and challenged myself to new heights each race. Through that I fell in love with the running community. I had so much fun at community races, group runs, and exploring new cities while traveling. It was just something that didn’t get old, and anyone can do it, and I loved it.”While Jacques loved the thrill running gave her, she also knew that the sport was bigger than herself. Running became her activism. To Jacques, each race was an opportunity to give back to the community in some type of way–and she didn’t take this feat lightly. Jacques took the motto “go big or go home” and ran with it. Half marathons became marathons, and marathons soon became running across the country in support of cancer research. “I have raced 3 charity marathons now where all the pro-ceeds go back into the foundations represented, ‘’ explained Jacques. “I also participated in 4k for cancer, which is a cross country team run for the ulman foundation.”Before Boston, Jacques dove into all different types of running–trail, roads, ultras–anything that seemed to pose a challenge. If it involved running, she knew it would be fun, so why not?Raising money for charitable foundations while running on the roads has been an eye-opening experience for Jacques. When growing up, Jacques’s perspective on sports was lim-ited. The focus was always on the next game, her stats, and performance.Thoughts about how to improve as an athlete and change her body to run faster plagued Jacques. She began to obsess over restricting her food and obtaining a slim body type as she tried to achieve what an athlete was “supposed to look like.”The Magic of Boylston StreetThe Magic of Boylston StreetBy Carley CrainJacques races at Boston. Photo Credit: Allie Jacques
May 2022 The Oval Magazine 52But when Jacques picked up her sneakers and started to run, she learned to view sports in a different light. It wasn’t just about her. Times, medals and performances were just a small sliver of what the sport truly ecompasses. Engaging in the community side of running to Jacques was like nding the light at the end of a dark tunnel. “Running means freedom, strength, and big time baddass women energy. I love the freedom of running and the feel-ing after a good long run or nding a new trail,” explained Jacques. “Don’t let me fool you it’s not all fun and games, it is constant soreness, injury, fatigue, sacrice, but that is what makes it all so fullling.”After moving to Colorado after graduating from The University of New Hampshire, Jacques was searching for an excuse to come back home to New England. After Jacques’s sister shared with her that a spot on a co-worker’s Boston charity team was open, Jacques jumped on the opportunity. It was time to run Boston. The thought of running down Boylston Street gave her goosebumps. The road to Boston, however, was an uphill battle. Since her decision to join the charity team was last minute, training was more relaxed. Jacques’ body was still recovering from a 50k she had raced in February, but the lactic acid and sore legs weren’t enough to stop her. Nothing was going to get in the way of Boston.Then a jabbing pain in her foot started to throb right before Jacques’s last pre-Boston long run. When putting on her shoes for work one morning, Jacques jumped when a random object tore into her heel, causing it to bleed. Determined to get the long run in, Jacques decided to ignore the pain. Less than a mile into the run however, it was time to go to urgent care and get some x-rays. The pain started to dial down afterwards, and Jacques became convinced that the random object fell out. She learned not too long after however that the random object was still in her heel, and that she would have to run Boston with it. But Jacques made sure this did not get in the way of her toeing the line in Hopkinton. When race day came along, the magic of Boston was evident. The crisp New England air was a euphoric experience. Jacques was back home, on the roads where she belonged. Time was irrelevant for her, being fully present in the race was more important. Before race day, Jacques’s goal was to cross the nish with a smile on her face. Her nish line pictures show just that– a beaming smile of pure joy. Jacques after her race at Boston. Photo Credit: Allie Jacques