Going the distance

SARASOTA — Emily Harding has always been an athlete.

She was a basketball player.

She was a volleyball player.

But the Sarasota High senior never considered herself a runner.

Harding came out for track on a whim her freshman year.

It wasn’t anything serious. She was just looking for a way to stay in shape during the offseason.

Harding continued to stick with it for the next two years.

Prior to the start of her junior season, Harding considered not running, but she ultimately returned to the track and enjoyed a successful season with her teammates.

The middle-distance runner spent the summer training with Sarasota’s cross-country team, and that’s when her attitude toward running began to sway.

“I just really loved it,” Harding says. “My dad (Jim) runs marathons, so over the summer he was all for it. It really just worked out. Over the summer I became really close with the team. They were all so supportive.”

With her senior year approaching, Harding had a decision to make — to run cross-country for the first time or stick with the two sports that had defined her athletic career for the better part of a decade.

After sitting down with all of her coaches, Harding decided to run cross-country, practicing when she could, while playing volleyball at the same time.

Harding suffered her first setback before the season even began when she sprained her ankle and was forced to miss nearly a month of action.

“I was devastated,” Harding says. “All of the hard work and conditioning I put in was all being wasted. But that just made me so much more determined to come back and show that, yes, I was injured, but I can still do this.

“I came back and worked as hard as I could to get back,” Harding says. “It really paid off.”

Dream season
After a successful volleyball season, Harding turned her focus solely to cross-country. She began practicing every day with the team, putting in two solid weeks of work before the Class 3A FHSAA Cross Country Finals in November.

In only her fifth meet of the season, Harding ran a personal best 18 minutes, 57 seconds to finish 14th and help lead the Lady Sailors to a second-place overall finish.

“It was the most fulfilling moment of my life,” Harding says. “I’ve been an athlete since I could walk, and I’ve dreamed of moments like that. Making it to the state finals and being able to do that with this group of girls (was special).”

At the time, Harding didn’t know if she wanted to continue running at the next level. But her experience at the state meet solidified her decision. Harding signed a national letter of intent to run track and cross-country for the University of South Carolina Feb. 5.

“The state meet was a special moment, and I decided then that I want to experience this as many times as I can,” Harding says. “Basketball has always been my No. 1 sport, and when I decided not to play that was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. But if I hadn’t done it, then I wouldn’t be here and getting ready to run at the University of South Carolina. I’m so excited.”

Top teammates
This spring, Harding, who used to run the 400-meter dash and 800, has increased her distance training and has since added the 1,600 to her list. Prior to the Ram Invitational Feb. 28, Harding had only run the mile twice. But after winning the event in a personal record 5:10, Harding is only three seconds away from breaking the school record.

“It looks like this season that’ll be my event,” Harding says with a laugh.

Harding, along with teammates Angelina Grebe, Sage Lyons and Mackenzie Brown, broke the school record in the 4x1,600 relay earlier this season, clocking a 5:17 in her first 1,600 in an official track meet.
As the two leaders of the Sarasota girls distance squad, Harding and Grebe, a junior, have relied on one another.

“She’s more of a distance person and I’ve always been speed and shorter distance,” Harding says. “She’s helped me with my endurance, and I’ve helped her with her speed and kick at the end of a race.”
Grebe agrees.

“It’s amazing,” Grebe says. “She didn’t do distance last year, so it’s great to have her there to push me. We’re surrounded by so many great runners on the team. I really love it.”

Grebe, who finished eighth in the state in cross-country, finished one spot shy of advancing to the state meet in the 3,200, her signature event, last season.

Similar to Harding, Grebe began running her freshman year. Having never run before, Grebe started out sprinting but quickly realized her talents lie in distance events.

“The more distance the better,” Grebe says. “I like the (distance) because it really determines who has the most drive and commitment. You get what you put into it. The more hard work you put into it, the faster you’ll be in the long run.”

Meanwhile, Harding hopes to shave 10 seconds off her time before the state meet in May and also break the school record of 2:20 in the 800.

But, more than anything, Harding is enjoying being part of Sarasota squad that continues to make a name for itself every time it steps out onto the track.

“I just feel honored to be running with some of the best runners this school has ever had,” Harding says.

“A lot of the younger kids tell me I inspire them. That motivates me even more. In every race and workout I try and give everything I have and show it’s possible.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected]