PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — After running three miles in low-20-degree weather and at times through snow and slush and on top of icy patches, Katelyn Tuohy said, “I couldn’t really move my legs too well.”
Tell that to the other 467 girls who competed in Saturday’s State Cross-Country Championships at SUNY-Plattsburgh.
The North Rockland senior, running on feet whose toes had turned white “like a dead person’s,” ran nearly 25 seconds faster than the rest of the girls who traversed the roughly three-mile, largely flat course.
Tuohy, one of many Section 1 stars to excel Saturday, clocked 15:36.5 to win the girls Class A state title for a third time.
But, while Tuohy may have made it look easy, it wasn’t.
“Everyone had the same conditions. It was more of a tough race than tactical,” she said. “It was about who was mentally tougher. Conditions like this put talent out the window.”
Perhaps.
But then Section 1 has a bunch of really tough runners, including in Tuohy’s division.
Five Section 1 runners finished in the top 20 in the 107-runner Class A race.
Katelyn Tuohy after winning her third straight Class A State girls cross-country title. Her North Rockland team is third in Class A. 23 degrees and some snow, ice and slush on course at SUNY-Plattsburgh. @NRockathletics , @NRStudentSect , @Szkolar_Lohud , @NRXC_TF pic.twitter.com/OTHWLNX6wy
— Nancy Haggerty (@HaggertyNancy) November 16, 2019
And North Rockland’s girls joined Pearl River’s Class B girls and North Rockland’s and Scarsdale’s Class A boys in placing high enough to have their team qualify for this coming Saturday’s State Federation Championships (public and private schools of all sizes) at Bowdoin Park.
In Class A, Carmel’s Katie Turk ran 16:50 for eighth place to qualify as an individual for Feds.
“Today I shocked myself,” Turk said, crediting her workouts with her finish.
North Rockland’s Haleigh Morales helped her team finish third overall in Class A with a 16:52.1, 10th-place finish.
Suffern’s Mary Hennelly crossed in 17:13.1 for 17th and fellow Hudson Valley runner Sarah Trainer from Section 9’s FDR (Hyde Park) was 19th in 17:13.7.
