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KETTERING, Ohio — For most high school cross country runners, the season ends at the state finals.
Greenville senior Gracelin Martin, right, shares an embrace with Greenville girls cross country head coach Robert Gale, left, after finishing her race at the Mideast Cross Country Championships in Kettering, Ohio on Saturday afternoon. Martin was selected as one of 12 of the best female senior runners to represent the state of Michigan. — Submitted photo
Greenville senior Gracelin Martin, on the other hand, got an opportunity to end hers in a very unique way.
Last weekend, Martin qualified for and competed in the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association (MITCA) Meet of Champions at Shepherd, a race she’s competed in since her sophomore year.
Out of 141 runners in her division, she finished 44th overall with a near personal-best time of 18:25.89, earning a spot to run for Team Michigan at the Mid-East Cross Country Championship at the Indian Riffle Park cross country course in Kettering, Ohio.
“It was so much fun,” Martin said. “It was so great just to meet people and get that experience, but also just to run against great competition like that. It’s the best of the best and being able to compete was such a great experience. I’m so thankful.”
For the state of Michigan, the top-12 senior male and female runners who participated in the Meet of Champions were selected for representation in Saturday’s event. Runners on the girls side came from all over the state, including Pickford, Forest Hills Central and Hartland, just to name a few.
The Mid-East Cross Country Championship features talented athletes from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and other area states and has had Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia participate in years past. The race has been held annually since 1987 and is sponsored by members of the Greater Dayton Track and Cross Country Officials Association and the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches.
Greenville senior Gracelin Martin, at far right, takes a photo with her fellow teammates while competing for Team Michigan at the Mideast Cross Country Championships in Kettering, Ohio on Saturday afternoon. — Submitted photo
Because of the short turnaround time, runners had to prepare mostly on their own throughout the week before taking a bus down to Ohio on Friday afternoon. Competing in such a unique environment, Martin said she wanted nothing more than to make the most out of her final high school cross country race.
“I just wanted to go out there and run with no regrets,” she said. “All of the work has been put in and it just came down to putting everything all together one last time. Yesterday was all about new experiences and new people and I really feel like that was a great preview into college running.”
Of the three competing states on the girls side, Team Michigan was crowned the overall champion with 34 points, edging out second-place Indiana by only four points. Martin had an individual finish of 31st place out of 36 runners with a time of 19:34.86.
“I was pretty proud of it, honestly,” Martin said. “I wasn’t too upset with it at all. It was just more emotional knowing that it was the last one.”
Martin didn’t make the five-hour trip by herself in that her support system of family members cheered her on every step of the way. For her mother Anne Anderson, Saturday’s race was an unforgettable experience.
Greenville senior Gracelin Martin warms up prior to the start of her race while competing for Team Michigan at the Mideast Cross Country Championships in Kettering, Ohio on Saturday afternoon. — Submitted photo
“It was an honor to have Gracelin selected to be one of the 12 fastest girls to represent Team Michigan,” she said. “It was an incredible opportunity and experience for Gracelin to compete one final time in high school cross country. This was exactly what she needed to wrap up her high school career. It was so awesome to see her in her element competing against the best runners in the Mideast.”
What was arguably the most special part of Saturday’s race was that Greenville girls head coach Robert Gale made the trip to coach Martin through one last race.
“It was so amazing having him there,” Martin said. “He’s always the first person that I look to after a race. He has my time and knows what happened during the race, so yesterday felt very unfamiliar in a way because I was in a different state with different girls. Hearing his voice out there on the course brought me a sense of ease, knowing that he was there and he was familiar. It was great to have him there for sure.”
Though her high school cross country career has officially met its end, Martin says she’s tremendously appreciative of the experiences she got to have first-hand on a highly competitive stage.
“My biggest takeaway would be just the importance of being grateful for the whole process,” she said. “I didn’t know a couple months ago if I would even be able to qualify for states with my injury, let alone race post-season races after states. At the end of the day, the times and places don’t matter as much as we tell ourselves they do. Ultimately, it’s about the memories and the experiences like this one.”
