Athletes react in different ways when they finally achieve a long-sought dream. Some raise a fist in triumph. Others stop and kiss the ground. Still others yell with relief. But for PA's Frances Koons, who finished a remarkable 9th at the Foot Locker National XC Championships, the tears started before she even crossed the line.
"I was heading toward the finish and heard my coach (Allentown Central's Jack Pressman) yelling that I was in 9th place. I just broke out in tears. Not tears of pain, but of joy, for how well I had done."
Frances Koons at Foot Locker Nationals, in a photo by Kirby Lee for Dyestat
The emotion must have also been for the entire year, a season in which she went from an improving runner with incredible potential, to one who must now reset her standards to an even higher level. Before the Foot Locker finals, Koons had not been beaten by a PA athlete, winning every invitational on the way to being crowned the PA AAA State Champ on November 1st in Hershey. She did lose one in-state meet, but it was to a 2002 Foot Locker Finalist, and just by nine seconds, at the Spiked Shoe Invite in September. The race was the first of several stepping stones in confidence, to the point where she actually believed she belonged with the best in the nation.
According to Koons, winning the state championship was the last step in confidence that put her in a frame of mind to achieve her dream of making Foot Lockers. "I remember talking about it over the summer, telling anyone who would listen that I would love to make Foot Lockers. Each race you gain confidence, but at States, I was really nervous. Going into a race and doing what I wanted to do showed me that if I put my mind to something, I can do it."
Next stop on the road to Foot Lockers was to test her confidence against more of the country's best at the Mid-East Regionals in Kettering, Ohio two weeks after the state meet. Mid-East is the annual all—star senior race against top harriers from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and West Virginia. Her 7th place there was actually another confidence-booster, because the race included two 2002 FL Finalists (Katie Harrington-4th this year, 17th in 2002 / Sunni Olding-5th this year, 10th in 2002), and two who would advance to the big race this year (Rachel Marchand, 10th, and Alissa McKaig, 20th). Koons was just 13 seconds behind Harrington, and ten seconds behind Olding, while beating both Marchand and McKaig. Knowing she could do what she set her mind to set her up for the Northeast Regional, in which she went with the leaders, got passed over the last mile by three sophomores, finishing 5th, but attaining her goal of making the national meet.
But just getting to San Diego was not the ultimate goal. "Once here, I wanted do really well. I wanted to represent Pennsylvania well."
It was that single-minded focus that helped her run the best race of her career, despite the distractions of world-class athletes, attention at every turn, and a grand atmosphere everywhere she turned. "I tried to do what I normally do, but this is an unbelievable experience. My room is so enormous. I've made a lot of new friends. I just had fun the entire time."
But when it came time for the race, her focus took over. "The race itself was a little different. They made nice introductions of all the runners. I did striders. I stretched. I prayed a little. I did more striders. And just like every other race, when the gun goes off, you start."
It was then she realized this wasn't any other race. "It went out so amazingly fast. I thought it must have been a 200 meter race. But we all got out well and it settled down." The only thing that bothered her during the race was the dust and dirt kicked up by the lead vehicle as they crossed changing surfaces, including grass, dirt and wood chips. "I felt bad for the girls up front. It bothered me a little."
Koons ran with the Northeast pack, with Lindsay Donaldson beside her, and Nicole Blood just behind. She went through the 800 in 2:35. "There were not established leaders, except for Jennifer Barringer, who was out there a little."
Koons came through the mile in 5:20. "That's my style. I was excited about that. I like it fast. But with all the runners around me, I laughed to myself, 'I'm definitely at Nationals'."
At that point, Koons was content to lead the second pack, with runners changing places the entire way. "We were within reach of the lead pack the whole way. That's what my coach told me to do."
At two miles, Koons came through in 11:16-18. "I thought, 'wow', this is really moving. It was so fast. I just kept pumping, telling myself I can do this. That's what running is about anyway, it's so mental. I just kept pumping the positive. But I also told myself that the faster I ran, the faster I'd be finished."
The pep talk must have helped, because Koons experienced something in the last mile of this race that had eluded her all season… a closing kick. "I had a strong last mile. That part of my races have been kind of shaky all year. I haven't found a second gear all year. I normally get passed. But today, I even caught someone at the end. I finally found a closing kick. That's probably one reason I was crying."
After going through the finish, Koons soon found her cheering section, and the hugs began. "Mom is always first. No matter what place I get, or the weather, I always get a hug from my mom first. But second in line was my coach. He doesn't say anything right away. He just comes and gives me a big bear hug. This time, he looked at me and smiled, and it was a really big bear hug."
This race exceeded her expectations. And Koons shares the credit with her family and her coach. Her little sister, who couldn't make the trip, was the one who gave her the pep talk she needed before winning States. Her coach told her before the race, 'you know, you're supposed to be here.' And she used the experience of the season to feel that she really did belong with the nation's elite.
Koons believes that PA can send more than just one runner. "There were big contingents from Texas and California and New York. There's no reason we can't have more here. Our racing level is so high and we have such good competition. There is no secret. I'm proof, because I went from a 12-minute 3200 as a freshman to 10:40. I believe anyone with a little bit of talent, if they get the training and take care of the mental part – thinking positively – can get here. It would be great."
But the support system is just as vital. "I have been so blessed. My coach takes care of me well, the training and planning. My mom and dad get me well when I get sick. And my teammates all made me little messages and sent a big box on the plane with me. I just take care of the training, the stretching, the warm-ups, the racing, and the cool-downs."
And the positive thinking, Frances. Don't forget the positive thinking.