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Yep, FOUR career State Championships (she won the 3200m in 2009, and the 1600m and 800m in 2010).  She won the 3200 meters today in a time of 11:28.64.  (Clare had set a new PR (personal record), school record, and more importantly, a new Region B record in the Region B meet last Saturday with a time of 11:16.18.)  See the photo below? That was the closest any of the field got to her in Saturday’s 3200.  Once the gun went off, it was all Clare.

The one below, that was the back stretch after the FIRST turn, and that gap just got bigger and bigger as the race went on.

The one below is around the third or fourth lap (out of 8 total laps in the 3200).  The compression of the telephoto lens is a little misleading.  Clare is about at the “finish line”, the girl in second place, Lebanon’s Tabby Arwood, is about 50 meters back, and the “pack” about 75 meters back.

If you’re looking through the gallery, and you see a photo like the one below, those other runners are the ones Clare is lapping….

Clare ran the 1600 meters earlier in the day, and lost by .5 second to Strasburg’s Katlyn Ayers (5:07.21).  Clare set a new PR and school record in the 1600 with a time of 5:07.71.  Remember Katlyn’s name, she won two State Championships today, the 1600 meters as well as the 800 meters.  She’s only a junior, and Clare was just about the only one there that could keep up with her.  I remember her from cross country, where she mostly just leaves everyone in the her dust….  She used to play softball in the spring…somehow, I bet after today, she may have picked a new spring sport 🙂

Below is the finish of the 1600 meters…nobody behind them.  The 800 meters was the same, Katlyn finishing all alone….

Madison senior Lynn Welch also qualified for the State meet, and came home with a 14th place finish in a time of 10:44.34.

The winner of the men’s 3200, Walker Mogen (9:57.62) got hugs from girls in tiaras.  Yep, one of the rewards of being a State Champion 🙂

And, I’ve mentioned it before, but there’s certainly something special about State Championships.  If Madison isn’t competing, then I’m usually looking for Bull Run District Teams.  And the Bull Run District is VERY well represented at the State Championships.  Below is Baha Bassill from Manassas Park.  As you can see from his number, he came into the race (the men’s 800m) as the number 6 seed.  He came out of the pack in the final 100 meters and won the race.

I think he hugged EVERYBODY….

…including, of course, his family..

And, at State Championships, you get pictures like this….

….and, well, this…..

…and, it was a bit hot out there….

And here are a few more random ones that I liked….

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