Spartan's Spirit

Just qualifying for any of the state meet championships is already an achievement on its own, but qualifying in four events, competing in every single one in the span of four hours and then ending up on the podium for every single one is quite the feat. 

That's what the Waynesville senior, and Xavier soccer commit, Samantha Erbach (Waynesville 2024) pulled off at the OATCCC D2/D3 & Seated Indoor State Meet on Saturday, competing in every single distance event throughout the duration of the competition:

4x800m Relay - 2:00pm
10:02.54 - 7th

1600m Run - 4:00pm
5:04.89 - 3rd

800m Run - 5:20pm
2:17.96 - 3rd

3200m Run - 6:20pm
11:20.85 - 4th

Erbach is no stranger to pulling off the combos with the distance events however, as we saw last spring at the OHSAA Division 2 State Championships, where she kicked off the weekend, joining Emme Greely, Kendal Erbach, and Maria Gill at the top of the podium after winning the 4x800m Relay; three of these legs including her made up the relay this weekend. This was followed up by a runner up finish in the 1600m Run, and a 4th place finish in the 800m Run.

While we weren't able to quite catch up to her for an interview at the state meet regarding the decision on competing in one of the most difficult combinations in track and field among other things, we were still able to get a few questions to her over an email interview.

What was the reasoning behind opting to run the four events last weekend?

I knew that this would be my last indoor race ever since I'm probably not running in college, so I decided to just do it all since I had nothing to lose. I wanted to challenge myself and see if I was capable of making the podium if all 4 events.

I also wasn't initially going to run the 4x8 but I wanted to give my team a chance to make the podium.

If you were told you were needed to run the 4x400m Relay despite already running so many events prior, would you have done it?

I definitely would have because I love running the 4x4 and I think it would have been a fun challenge. While the 400 isn't my top event it's one of my favorites since it's only one lap

What did that 3200m feel like on already tired legs and what came after crossing that finish line? 

The race went out pretty fast the first 400 which made me a little nervous. I was near the back but decided to just go for it and put myself into the 3-5 spot. I knew that everyone else in the race was either running on fresh legs or just had 1 race prior to it so I knew I had to be strong mentally. From the gun I could feel the 3 races on my legs so the whole entire time I was just waiting to hit a wall and die off, but I somehow didn't. My legs felt terrible, so it was kind of a mind over matter race. I set a goal going into the meet to make the podium in all 4 races so that was a motivating factor in the race for sure. I felt so relieved when I crossed the finish knowing I had completed something that was very challenging. 

What was the preparation like in terms of training to prepare for what you accomplished on Saturday?

This winter my mileage has actually been very inconsistent, and I've had some very low mileage weeks. My range has been from 5 miles to 25 miles (average has been about 16 miles). With soccer I'm not always able to run and I've also struggled with shin splits which has limited my training. Workouts wise I haven't done any speed work and have been doing only fartleks and tempos. I was pleasantly surprised with all my times considering this.

Was there anything that you would've changed in terms of racing? This can be applied to the day itself or just specific races.

I definitely would have eaten more before the meet started because I underestimated how little time, I had between the races to eat. Also, during the 1600 I would have gone out a little more aggressive. I got boxed in really badly which caused me to get tripped up a lot. To get myself out of a bad position I had to waste more energy than I would have liked to get around the outside and to the final group.

Is there a possibility of you trying the same thing outdoors of making it to the state meet in four events?

As of right now I'm definitely considering it because I thought it was fun. If our 4x4 does well this year I might have to run that instead of the 3200 though. 

Any plans for indoor nationals?

As of right now I'm definitely considering it because I thought it was fun. If our 4x4 does well this year I might have to run that instead of the 3200 though.