< you think racing 25 laps around the track sounds fun? What about racing in circles for 40 minutes? Can you even imagine a 6.2 mile race on a track? While some of us may have trouble with this image, last Saturday freshmen Simone Childs-Walker and Taylor Ffitch helped our dreams come true, as they competed in their first ever 10,000 meter race at St. Olaf. Childs-Walker easily made the NCAA provisional qualifying standard, winning in 36:31.25, and Ffitch started her 10k career off on the right note by running 39:24.63, neatly under the 40-minute mark.
Alison Smyth ’12 worked with Karen Campbell ’09 to dominate the 5,000 meter race, taking the two first places in 18:30.9 and 18:34.08, respectively. Smyth’s pain tolerance is apparently so high that she unknowingly raced on a fractured femur, so this is the last we’ll be seeing from her for awhile.
Laura Roach ’10 continued to impress with a new personal record in the 1500 meters of 4:41.42, Megan Erlandson ’12 and Pepsi Margoles ’09 both vaulted excellently, reaching 9’ 8” and 9’ 2.25” respectively. Clare Franco shone brightly in all five events in which she competed. Please encourage her to wear sunscreen. If you’re heading to the cities this weekend for some cultural enrichment, stop by Macalester on Saturday to watch the women cream the competition.