The Observer, April 6, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 23
Kristen Bowhers translates love of running into success at Case
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With all of the physical and mental punishment that comes with distance running, most people in their right minds would not consider running long distances as fun. However, Kristen Bowhers, a sophomore from Rochester, N.Y., loves running miles and miles each week and is an integral part of both the track and cross country teams at Case.
When asked how many miles she runs per week, she said "only 40" as if she is not getting enough running done. "I like track, but cross country is my true calling and I love the sport," she said. "You can't get muddy on a track, but in cross country you get muddy, bloody, and there's always a change in scenery."
That may be true, but it is track season after all, and Bowhers is ready to go. While she has run in multiple events, she really enjoys running the 4x800 meter relay. "The 800 is a sweet race because it is pretty much a two lap sprint."
And, whether it is the 800-meter relay, or the 5000-meter run, Bowhers mentally prepares herself the same way before every race.
"I always listen to 'I'm Still Here' by John Rzeznik, I don't put my spikes on until after I've warmed up and done some foot drills, and I do the same stretches in the same order each time," she said.
And until recently, when her performance faltered a little bit, Bowhers wore the same pair of "lucky socks" for each and every race of the season. "I think the luck kind of ran out so I'm currently searching for a new pair of lucky socks," she said.
Either way, the "luck" in the first pair had to do some good in her first two seasons. As a freshman, Bowhers won the Case Nancy Gray Rookie of the Year Award, along with UAA Rookie of the Year, and All-Ohio Freshman Female of the Year, all for cross country. This past season, she was named first-team All-UAA, and to the All-Region team.
Along with her lucky socks, Bowhers, who considers herself hyper and a bit of a jokester, carries around a "fake butt" to get a laugh or two from her teammates, or on occasion to cure her own butterflies. "I get really nervous, so if I am joking around, I forget about it a little," she said.
Bowhers isn't the only one. She says the entire team, including the coaches, is pretty loose, whether it is during practice or a meet.
"Nothing is really taken seriously, which is perfect for all of us on the team," she said. "We like to do the hokey-pokey on the starting lines and wear funny sunglasses and wigs, provided by our coaches."
With that said, the jokes and fun are leveled off by the hard work it takes to prepare for and win a race. "We practice six days a week, and sometimes it can be for four hours at a time," Bowhers said. That is a lot of time devoted to running, not to mention that Bowhers is a civil engineering major, one of the most demanding fields at Case.
"I think having my time constantly filled by sports and a heavy work load makes me a more efficient worker than if I had tons of time on my hands," she said. "There are definitely days when I want to pull my hair out from the amount of work I have to get done, but thankfully that doesn't happen too often. I'd probably be bald by now if it did."
The outlook for this year's track season, though, is not an additional source of stress. "We have a lot of depth in sprinting, distance, and throwing," she said. "We also have a good group of coaches who contribute a great deal to the program."
With such a deep team in place this season, the only void left to fill for Bowhers and the track team is finding her a new pair of lucky socks.
