There's no doubt about it, Chambersburg senior Natalie Holder really wanted to break a record in her final go-around at her home invitational, the 9th Annual Tim Cook Invitational, held on Saturday.
But a slow start in the 1,600 put her in an early hole. Holder picked up her pace and charged hard on the final lap, but it wasn't enough. Her time of 5:19.55 fell just short of Abby Michaelian's 2009 record of 5:18.32.
It would've been nice for Holder to get the record, but if there's one thing that will make her feel better, it's the gold medal around her neck.
Holder was one of two Chambersburg winners on Saturday. She defeated Hershey's Gabi Broschard (5:23.10) and Taylor Mortensen (5:36.11) to claim victory.
"There were good girls in the race, so I wanted someone to set the pace," Holder said. "I didn't want to go out too fast because I wanted the pack to absorb some of the wind. The wind is always pushing you back. When you go around that third turn, it hits you hard and it's hard to adjust."
After the first 800 meters, with nobody else taking control, Holder took matters into her own hands.
"I wanted that record and I just missed it," Holder said. "If I had taken the lead sooner on the first lap, I would've gotten the record. But I took first, so I can't complain too much."
There are lessons Holder can draw from Saturday's competition, with much bigger races to be run as the season progresses. Her ultimate goal for the season is to break five minutes in the 1,600.
"I need to be more confident with my pace," Holder said. "We've been doing hard workouts to work on my confidence to take it out faster."
Chambersburg's Alex Orr also won gold, taking the 3,200 in 11:57.32. She finished comfortably ahead of the field, with her closest competitor being Hershey's Megan Ingalls (12:07.86).
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