reer wrote:
jed23 wrote:
Watching her post-race interview on runnerspace was super sad.
Yeah it seemed like she was about to burst into tears any second. I don't have anything to base this on, but I almost got the impression that all of the emotion of the race and the pressure leading up to it was still affecting her afterwards. Even though she pulled it off, it was a lot of weight to carry, so that release can be emotional. I wonder if part of her is actually glad it's all done and the book is written on her HS XC career.
I just saw this interview, and I will say that my impressions were the opposite...I was really impressed with her and how she conducted herself. She made it very clear that she was not running well the entire race and thought she was going to lose at 3km. But she kept going. She basically walked up the last hill, and then fought through for the win.
It's too bad that it got to that point, but she was feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders, and it was all based on not losing. Anyone who has played a sport has realized the difference between entering a competition with the mentality of 'trying to win' vs the attitude of 'trying not to lose'. Her emotion at the end was relief...not joy.
From that standpoint, her race was 'embarassing' to her because she failed to produce an effort that was worthy of her, and almost fell they way that the haters were all calling for.
I thought she gave a very open and honest interview, moreso than she normally gives.
Hopefully, she is able to look back on this race and realize it was likely the best race of her life.
I think she is an absolute class act.