JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Ste. Genevieve freshman Taylor Werner was one gigantic grin following her 3,200-meter victory Friday.
Werner started quick and kept a near-even pace throughout the state race to take down the 2008 Class 3 record of 10:48 set by Festus’ Alyssa Allison with a new record time of 10:38.04. She admitted that she had thoughts of the record before the race, but she initially opted to just run for the victory.
Everything changed once the race started.
“My dad and my coach were telling me 10:49 was all I had to do,” Werner said. “I was going to stay with the pack, but once the gun went off I was just like, ‘Go for it,’ and felt pretty good.”
Werner started the first lap in 1:17 and then ran a string of 1:21-1:22 laps.
“About lap five or six I was getting a little tired, and then they were saying the girls were starting to catch me,” Werner said. “From there it was, ‘OK, go, go go!’ I’m not really sure what my time was at going into my last lap, but I knew the record was in my hands. I really gutted it out the last lap and crossing the finish line I couldn’t have been happier.”
Urged by the thought of encroaching competitors, Werner reeled off two laps of 1:19 before a final lap 1:15.
Werner already had a gold medal in her pocket as the anchor of the 3,200-meter relay, which won in 9:25, just missing the Class 3 record by a second. Werner said that first race helped calm her down for the rest of the day.
“I think running earlier really loosened me and got my nerves out a little bit and shook me out,” Werner said. “I think because I ran earlier it gave me a better day.”
The state record still did not reach the PR of 10:25 she ran early in the season at the Festus Tiger Town Invitational when she was pushed by Eureka standout Hannah Long.
“Hopefully I’m in better shape next year and can get some more PRs,” Werner said. “Me and (Long) really pushed each other to get good times so I don’t focus as much on the pain.”
