By David Freeze
Adalie Harrison Nails Her First Marathon!
Originally signed by Lenoir Rhyne University for basketball, Adalie Harrison didn’t waste much time before she moved on to running track and cross country. Then she transferred to USC Upstate, where she continued running while working toward her nursing degree. Now employed as an OR nurse for Atrium Health, Harrison has continued running. She took a big step forward with her running last Saturday, April 25th, by completing her first marathon (26.2 miles) in Nashville, Tennessee.
Harrison said, “I decided to do the Rock and Roll Marathon just to say I have done one in my life. I have a lot of things I want to do, and the list seems to get bigger and longer every time I look at it. But that is okay because we only get one life and have to make the best of it! I picked Nashville because I love to travel and have never been there. It was a perfect fit, not too far from home and easy to make the experience a weekend trip.”
I asked Adalie to list her favorite running memories. She said, “Well, there are a lot of those- having the school record at Erwin for the mile, winning first place in the county/conference in high school, qualifying for regional and state meets, meeting some of my best friends in college through running and breaking 20 minutes in the 5K, both in cross country and track.
Adalie started running in 6th grade with Girls on the Run at Erwin Middle School, wanting something to do with the school. Back then, 6th graders could not play sports, so seeing GOTR as her only opportunity, she took it.
Addressing immediate running plans after the marathon, Adalie said, “As of right now, I don’t have any major plans, I was looking into training for a Hyrox competition next but two little birdies have told me I should find a fast marathon to run. I can try to qualify for Boston as I am only 10 mins off after my first ever marathon on a hilly course.”
I asked Adalie to describe her marathon. She said, “I know I was putting in a hard effort, but did not feel like it until mile 18, I felt great the whole way, especially the first 15 miles. I was actually told to slow down but I didn’t since I felt so good. I was about 7:45-50 pace through the first 15 then started to hit low 8s followed by some low 9s, then got back into the 7:50s the last 2 miles to the finish. The best memory without a doubt is the amount of people cheering me on even though they have no idea who I am. (Adalie’s first name was on her bib) I loved all the funny signs people made saying some of the most random things and got lost in reading all of them. The worst point was realizing at mile 16.5 that the course got changed and from mile 17-23 were all big hills, Originally the course was supposed to flatten out after mile 18. The unexplained course change netted 26.65 miles, more than the regulation 26.2 miles.”
“I slowed down a lot on the back end on the hills because they were so awful, people were falling out left and right. I have never seen so many people walking in a race. My slowest miles were 22 (9:26) and 24 (9:22), both of which had the biggest and longest hills to climb, On mile 22, I was rethinking this whole marathon thing.”
Always cool, Adalie sweats little on even the hottest days. She said, “A couple standing near my mom at the finish thought I didn’t even look tired or as if I had been sweating. My coworkers saw the pictures and accused me of freshening up before the photos.” She never got sore afterwards, suggesting there is more in the tank.
Adalie’s hobbies and other interests include anything exercise: running, lifting, hiking, photography, being outside and traveling. She said, “I’ve been to a lot of places. Also, I have gotten into reading since being out of school and not studying, but you know that will change soon! I will be off to nurse practitioner school this fall. Otherwise, anything that gets the heart rate up. I have been skydiving, cliff jumping into the ocean, swimming with sharks, and rode along for stunts in an aerobatic high-performance airplane. Call me an adrenaline junkie!”
Our next local run is the Girls on the Run 5K Celebration at Salisbury Community Park on Saturday, May 2nd. And the Special Olympics Torch Run is set for Thursday, May 7th. Look for more information on both at www.salisuryrowanrunners.org
