St. Johnsbury senior named 2009 Cross Country Runner of the Year
|
|
There's not another runner in sight as Hannah Rowe wins the 2009 Division I state championship race at THetford on Oct. 31. Jeb Wallace-Brodeur/Times Argus |
Toolbox
By CHRIS HRENKO Times Argus Staff - Published: November 25, 2009
It's no secret that St. Johnsbury senior Hannah Rowe is the fastest girl in Vermont. This fact is so incontestable that it seems like a waste of time trying to prove it. And for that matter, she's probably faster than most of the state's women, boys and men, too. That's why she's The Times Argus 2009 Cross Country Runner of the Year.
Before rolling out the big results, take a look at a typical weekly meet scenario. In an Oct. 6 league meet at U-32, a well-matched group of second- through fifth-place finishers all ran times in the 21-minute range, spanning from second-place finisher Chelsea Evans of U-32 (21:39.92) to fifth-place finisher Naomi Page of Peoples Academy (21:55.81). Rowe's winning time was 19:28.65.
By the time Evans crossed the line, Rowe had been finished for approximately two minutes, 11 seconds, probably enough time to get down to resting heart-rate and a fire off a few text messages to friends and family, maybe enough time to grab a burger and a hot chocolate at the Raiders' concession stand. By the time third-place finisher Genevieve Primeau of North Country (21:45.19) crossed the line, about two minutes, 17 seconds had passed, enough for Rowe — on a good day — to have tied her with a 800-meter head start (Rowe's personal best 800 meter time is 2:17.94 according to Milesplit.us).
Against regional competition, Rowe was out on a run by herself this season. She fared well at the big meets, too. On Halloween, Rowe defended her title at the Vermont State Cross Country Championships in 20:10.00 on the 5,000-meter course, and she holds titles for numerous track events as well. She was the Vermont Gatorade Athlete of the Year in both cross country and track in her junior year, an award that has not yet been announced for this year.
She broke 18 minutes for the first time on a 5,000 meter course at the Burlington Invitational on Sept. 19. The following week, Rowe placed third with a cold (18:58.88) at New Hampshire's Manchester Invitational in the girls large school race, competing against runners from all over New England. It was one of the rare events in which she encountered serious competition, something she's not very used to, but enjoys when she gets the chance to experience it.
"I loved it," said Rowe of the third-place finish. "Competition makes you a lot better, and it's really hard going through the year without it and then having it for one of the last races."
That's an admission that might sound cocky if it weren't just the plain truth. The unfamiliarity of having some competition can even be a little unnerving for Rowe.
"I'll be leading a race — and this happened to me at a couple of the really big races — and a girl would come up next to me and all of a sudden I wouldn't have as much energy as I had before," Rowe said. "I don't know, it must be a lot of psychological stuff, but it's definitely a lot easier to lead. That's something that racers need to work on a lot."
Obviously, getting caught isn't something that happens to Rowe all too often, but she might get a chance to experience it more at the college level, where she'll most likely run for Dartmouth.
After two running seasons of unprecedented success, Rowe gives lots of credit to her teammates and especially St. Johnsbury coach Arlan Langmaid.
"He's done more than anyone could possibly imagine for our team," Rowe said. "He does all that and he's just an amazing motivator. He's extremely passionate about it, and his life is our team, or just running in general. Anyone who goes into cross country will say, if they started cross country as a junior, that they wish they had started as a freshmen because it's a life-changing experience because coach Langmaid makes it that way."
With Rowe leaving the scene, there will be a big void to fill next year for Vermont high school runners. She tipped her hat to junior Mary Kate Cirelli of Rutland — a soccer player converted to running this year — and freshmen Jenna Griffith of Colchester as possible contenders for next year's state title. One thing is for sure though: Rowe's absence will be a great relief to girls who want to win running races in Vermont.
38