Anyone can take part in a turkey trot before Thanksgiving.
But to run a race after consuming a heavy holiday meal? That takes dedication.
It's difficult to imagine a high school athlete more dedicated to running than Hempfield junior Morgan Ansell. Since finishing 11th at the PIAA cross country championships Nov. 2, Ansell has run unattached in two high-profile races, the most recent of which occurred just two days after Thanksgiving.
On Nov. 30, she participated in the championship race at the Nike Cross Regional Championships in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., completing the 5K course in 20 minutes, 15 seconds. Out of 252 finishers, she was the 77th runner to cross the line, an outcome that was “a little disappointing.”
“I think I just had an off-day,” she said, shortly before offering another hypothesis to explain her performance. “I filled up on turkey two days before instead of pasta like I normally do.”
An understandable mistake, albeit one from someone who doesn't seem to make too many, at least when it comes to distance racing.
To get a better idea of Ansell's ability, consider the time she turned in at the Cross Country Coaches National Youth Championships in Louisville, Ky., a week before. At 19:23.74, her second-fastest time of the year, she came in 12th place among the 58 finishers in the 15- and 16-year-old girls category.
“That one we were really pleased with,” said Brenda Ansell, Morgan's mother and coach.
Ansell, 16, is as accomplished a teenage runner as you're likely to find. She excels in cross country during the fall, indoor track in the winter and outdoor track come spring. She has lettered in all three pursuits and been to Hershey for the state cross country championships three years in a row.
After the Nike race, Ansell took a week off from running, though she would have preferred to just stay the course. She resumed training Monday in preparation for the coming indoor season.
Ansell has not yet qualified for states in indoor track, and doing so remains a goal.
“I really just want to make it this year,” she said.
Ansell's passion for running is undeniable. She first expressed an interest in it at 2 years old and completed her first 5K at 5. As a 7-year-old, she participated in the Junior Olympics, which she is still involved with, among with all her other running-based commitments.
With miles to rack up and seconds to shave off, Ansell has a schedule that many would find overwhelming. She, however, embraces every new challenge that her budding career brings.
“She just lives to run, I think,” her mother said. “She knew at an early age that that's really what she wanted to do, and that's all she pretty much lives for, is to run.”
And it would take more than the holiday season to stop her.
Mark Emery is a freelance writer.
