 | | ANDREW MATHESON/CENTRAL OREGONIAN | | Michelly Foley, right, ran in the rain at Border Clash, where she finished in 50th place for the event. |
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BEAVERTON - With just a few meters remaining at Border Clash 8, Crook County junior Michelly Foley clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and tried to get one final boost, vaulting herself past a few more runners before the finish line at the Nike World Headquarters.
Foley, more known for her strong and steady pace than her strong finish, managed to find a little extra energy on the stretch run at the Oregon-Washington cross country event.
"I just thought the sooner I cross that finish line, the sooner the pain is over, so I just went all out," Foley said after the race.
Foley finished in 50th place at Border Clash 8, which pits the top 40 runners from Oregon against the top 40 runners from Washington in a 4,400 meter race on the Nike campus. The placing is 10 spots better than her 60th place finish last year at Border Clash 7, and nine spots better - from 29th to 20th - on Team Oregon from one year ago.
After the race, Foley said she felt much better than the previous year, and believed she ran a faster race. Her time of 17:53.72, however, was only one-tenth of a second better than last year. But showers in the Portland area made the course wet and muddy for Sunday's race, adding up for a slippery and slow course.
"It was pretty soggy and muddy and slippery," Foley said. "A lot of people fell during the race, but I like running in the rain, it feels good.
"There was a lot of people around me, even though my pace (6:32.8) was slower from previous races. But people usually have slower paces on this course, with the hills and turns."
Foley qualified for the Border Clash by finishing in the top 12 - in her case, ninth place - at the cross country state championships at Lane Community College in Eugene two weeks ago.
Since then, Foley has been working with CCHS cross country coach Tracy Smith in practice on intervals. At Border Clash, runners from Oregon and Washington start the race approximately 400 meters away from each other and run at each other, merging onto a path at 200 meters.
In practice, Foley worked on jumping out to a quick lead to prevent being pushed behind when the two teams merged.
"We ran 200 meters like she's trying to get a position and then slip back into a race pace," Smith said. "And it worked and she said she felt good in the first part."
Added Foley, "Last year at the start, I got pushed to the back, and this year, I was in the top 10 at the start. The merger was much better this year."
As for the teams, Washington dominated in both the girls and boys race in the most lopsided victories in Border Clash history. In the girls race, Washington won 70-196, taking 17 of the first 21 spots. On the boys side, Washington recorded a perfect score, defeating Oregon 55-272. The Washington boys managed 21 of the first 24 spots, including the top 16.
As for Foley, she defeated three girls at Border Clash who edged her at the state meet, including Amelia Yeager of Crescent Valley, Shoni Schimmel of Hermiston and Malory Petersen of Corvallis.
"Some people didn't handle adverse conditions," Smith said. "If you're beating people at Border Clash that you weren't at state, that's a solid race."
"Some people, at the end of the season, do get tired and some people might not be used to it," Foley added.
Last year, Foley, running in her first Border Clash, pulled up after the race with a foot injury. Coach Smith believed it was due to the extensive season, but this year, Foley was more prepared for extending her season with Border Clash, and she completed the race injury-free.
In fact, just as she had started the race to get ahead of the merger, Foley finished the race with an added boost. In the final remaining meters, Foley said she passed six girls before the finish line.
"Last year, I don't think her (Border Clash) race was representative of what she had done at state. This year it was," Smith said. "Last year, she was in tears because her foot was bothering her. This year, she's still rearing to go work out." |
