ST. LOUIS – There was no hiding Taylor Werner’s intentions Saturday at Forest Park.
The Ste. Genevieve sophomore set a fast pace from the opening gun, and it didn’t take long for her and Eureka junior Hannah Long to break away from the field. Werner continued to dictate the tempo as she was after another meet record, and Long was not able maintain contact.
Werner broke her own meet record of 16:59 from last year with a lightning fast 16:47.20, which is the fastest time in the nation this season.
“I wanted to win. I’m not really sure what time I was going to shoot for, but I’m really proud of my time,” Werner said. “I had a hard week of practice this week, so I didn’t know how I was going to feel, but I felt really great.
Werner said she was surprised when Long was not there challenging her like last year.
“I thought she was going to be right by me, but when we started she was always a half step behind me,” Werner said. “I saw my time at the mile, and I think it was a little slower than last year. So I really stepped on the gas pedal and went through the two mile and had my teammates and coaches telling me where she was at. It just gradually got farther, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh! This is real!’ I couldn’t believe it.
“I thought we were going to be racing till the end like last year. I felt great; I really did.”
Long captured second in 17:37.10, which would give her the eighth-fastest nationally this fall if she wasn’t already on the national rankings with a 17:35 from the Brooks Memphis Twilight Classic.
“(My strategy was) to get out easy and stick with Taylor for the first mile,” Long said. “It just wasn’t my day. I don’t know what it was. The weather is perfect; I just was not feeling very well today.
“I didn’t do as well as I wanted obviously, so I’m going to use that as my motivation to help me train the rest of the year.”
Long was shadowing Werner through the first mile, but the gap began to widen as they made their way through the inner loop of the course. By the final mile, Werner has surged out to a comfortable lead.
Werner said she realizes there won’t be many opportunities to race a course or a loaded lineup like at the Forest Park Cross Country Festival. That does not deter her from attacking every race as she builds toward the state meet and a postseason slate that hopefully includes another trip to Foot Locker nationals, where she finished 13th last year.
“I really focus on each race, but (Foot Locker is) the main goal,” Werner said. “Foot Locker is a really amazing experience, and I want to do my best there and get a good time.
“Last year at Forest Park was the first time I’d ever been pushed. Last year gave me a lot of practice and this year I push myself more mentally and physically. I try to go as hard as I can, but they’re races I know it’s like practice for really pushing myself, especially for the state meet.”
The chase group consisted of several more elite contenders, including Nerinx Hall’s Sophia Racette in third, Festus’ Jamie Kempfer in fourth and Howell freshman Maddi Leigh in fifth.
“It was nerve-wracking,” Leigh said of her first big invitational. “But once it started, I felt an adrenaline rush, and it was a great feeling. I’m planning on getting better, and it’s kind of learning how to race.”
