Wyo’s Addie Cohen hits the mark in test run, looks forward to bigger challenges
Addie Cohen has spent hours circling the track at Flannery Field, alone with her thoughts, pushing herself to run faster and faster.
She was back at it Friday afternoon, running free and easy and virtually alone, no one in sight, no sound of footsteps closing from behind.
The Wyomissing junior’s latest practice run happened to come in the final event of the John H. Shaner Memorial Meet, the 3200, but other than her classmates cheering her on it was just like one of countless runs she’s made around her home track.
“I’ve been training pretty much by myself,” Cohen said after winning the event in a personal-best 11:01.11, nearly seven seconds better than her previous best, which came in a seventh-place finish at the PIAA Track and Field Championships last May. “Mentally I’ve been working on being able to run by myself, and that’s helped.”
Cohen got off to a strong start and blew past the competition. By the end of the second lap she had a Secretariat-sized lead, some 200 meters. Late in the race she began lapping the field and ended up passing nearly half the field. She hit the tape 71 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
“I felt very, very steady at the beginning,” Cohen said. “I went through the mile in about 5:22, and that’s what I’ve been hitting at dual meets (in the 1600) pretty consistently without too much effort.
“Today, I really wanted to get out and see if I could hold that (pace); I was throwing myself at the wall, so to speak. It didn’t really stick today, but I think next time it definitely will.”
It was essentially a test run, the first big step in preparing to get back to states and bring home another medal.
She passed the test.
“This was my first all-out 3200 of the year,” Cohen said. “We don’t go to many invites, (so this was) kind of nice.”
“We knew we had a good opportunity here with the weather, some good competition and a friendly crowd,” said Wyomissing distance coach Erik Uliasz said. “That helps.”
The time was impressive considering Cohen wasn’t pushed.
Most of the BCIAA’s other top distance performers, including Exeter’s Gabby Keith, were competing at other meets.
The fact that Cohen nearly eclipsed Keith’s Berks Best of 11:00.30 in the event says a lot.
“It’s a good sign,” said Uliasz. “She’s right where I wanted her to go. She hit the mark.”
Cohen grew up playing basketball, soccer and lacrosse. She didn’t start running until junior high, when she joined the cross country team. Running became her year-round sport by her sophomore year. She finished fifth at the District 3 Class 2A cross country meet that year, then won a gold at districts in the 3200 and a silver in the 1600.
She began her junior season by finishing first at the BCIAA cross country championships.
“She committed to full-year running as a sophomore,” Uliasz said, “and sometimes it takes a full year for it to click, and that’s what’s happened. Now she’s collecting the dividends of that.”
Cohen will be back on the track Saturday, seeking another gold medal, this time in the 1600. She currently holds the Berks Best in that event at 5:04.79, though she considers the 3200 her better race.
“I had a PR (in the 1600) at the Stephan Meet,” she said. “That was a really encouraging race. (But) I really like the tempo of the 3200 (better).”
Cohen will also run on a pair of relays Saturday, the 4×400 and 4×800. She’s hoping to run in all four races at districts.
Her big test in the 3200 will come next week at the Firing Meet, where league championships will be contested. All of Berks’ top distance runners figure to be gathered for that.
“I was hoping to go under (11:00) today,” Cohen said, “but I think Thursday it’ll be such a great race with great competition, and I think a bunch of us will probably be breaking that 11:00 barrier.”
