Elke Nowicki saw daughter Sophia’s life flash before her eyes last weekend as the celebrated St. Timothy senior ran her last high school race through the scenic fields of Cochrane.
“I just saw the little girl that started in Grade 7 and finished silver in Grade 12,” Elke said at the finish line of Saturday’s ASAA Provincial Cross Country Championships.
Those six years of training were reflected in Nowicki’s standout performance as she out-ran dozens of senior girls from across Alberta to earn the coveted silver medal, with a time of 16:47:26 in the 4K category. As the teen blazed through the course, the importance of the afternoon was also not lost on her.
“(I was thinking), ‘This is my very last provincial race for high school. I want to make it count,’” said the track star. “I was just pushing through it.”
It was a bittersweet moment for coach Travis Cummings, too. He trained Nowicki through her entire running journey and was overcome with pride for the determined teen.
“To see where she’s come … (It’s) outstanding – and very fitting,” he said, adding Nowicki has become a role model for other young girls in the sport. “If I had a daughter, I would like her to be like that.”
Cummings and St. Timothy’s High School hosted this year’s provincials, which saw nearly 900 fast-on-their-feet athletes from around the province race amid a palette of snow-capped mountains at the Cochrane Ag Grounds.
The home field advantage helped local runners to visualize and feel out the course, including St. Tim’s runner Makenna Spademan – who trained on the fields in preparation for her junior girls’ 3K race.
“This is a really hilly course. You know already where you’re going,” said the 15-year-old, who pushed hard in the last few metres, coming in at 11:47:16 to place 32nd overall.
Bow Valley High School’s Amy Miller pulled into the chute in fifth place in the same race with a time of 10:40:63 – nearly three minutes faster than her last showing.
“It was a gradual passing of people,” said the Grade 10 student, adding she didn’t go into the gate with a strategy. “It’s different every time. I don’t like the pressure of having a plan.”
Cummings is proud of the showings of all Cochrane’s athletes – as well as the courtesy the entire town showed parents, spectators, runners and coaches from across Alberta.
“It’s been a year in the making.”
