There was no better place to start my 2009 season than the Penn Relays!!! I had been there year after year but there was something really special about this year. With the weather always being an issue we were lucky to have a beautiful 87 degree day. Also most memorable about the Penn Relays is that you almost feel as though you’re competing in Jamaica. The fans come out and support the Jamaican teams on all levels and they proudly boast their gold, black, and green, and wave their flags high. Being born in Jamaica I know how much our people love track and field and after the 2008 Olympics, most of the fans were still on a high! In the press conference most of the media asked about the rivalry between the US and Jamaica, especially in the 4×1 as both teams weren’t able to face each other in the final.

The rivalry was real and it was palpable on race day. I would have loved to be a part of the 4×1 as well but after missing some training due to my illness I didn’t want to sprint at 80-90%, my team deserves athletes at their best! However I was there and was so pleased to see my teammates get the stick around the track and run well. Of course neither team was at 100% with some key athletes from the US and Jamaica missing but it was nice to see both teams compete! When it was time for the 4×4, everybody was pumped to run well. The Jamaicans had a great team and I knew it would be a great race.

As I stood on the side watching the race unfold, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. While Monica Hargrove handed the baton to Natasha Hastings she stepped on her heel and ripped her spike completely off her foot. I heard someone scream, “She lost her shoe!” I hoped it wasn’t Natasha’s, but it was. I could not believe how well she ran with one spike! She went to the lead early and held on, to give us a chance to win the race. I know most people didn’t even notice but you just can’t imagine how BRAVE it was for her to run without a shoe. The track was so hot that my feet hurt in my spikes, let alone running barefoot. She had a bruise so severe under her big toe, that I’m truly not sure if it was worth the run. It’s early in the season and I really hope this incident won’t hold her out of training or competition. With that kind of heart, we’re definitely going to need her in Berlin this year!

I’m happy to get the first race under my belt and I can’t wait to go to Jamaica this weekend and compete in my first open 400m race. The meet in Jamaica is always well supported and lots of fun.

Until next time….
San

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm and is filed under sanyarichards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.