Oakwood's Mary Kate Vaughn, despite being stuck in the mud and falling at the start of the NXN gir's race, plodded her way through the mud and water, working her way up to a 27th place finish in a time of 20:21. As a Freshman, she has continued to improve each and every race and has proven herself to be one of the premier freshman girl's in the nation.
OHRunners: First, congratulations on qualifying for the Nike XC Nationals and finishing in 27th place. That is quite an honor and an accomplishment as a Freshman. What was the experience like?
Mary Kate: It was an amazing experience!!! I have had so much fun in Oregon! I have made friends with many of the other runners, including Taylor Werner (Sainte Genevieve, MO 40th) and Lauren Wood (Mason, OH 65th). All the athletes got to meet some of the professional runners who run with Nike, including Galen Rupp, Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, and a lot of others! It was really amazing to see the Nike campus and to meet some of the best runners in the country! The race was unbelievably muddy and tough, but afterwards we all realized that we had a lot of fun!
OHRunners: What were your expectations getting prepared for the race?
Mary Kate: I really wanted to place in the top 21, which means you are all- American. I knew there was a lot of competition and that it would be tough, but I was well prepared.
OHRunners: What was your race strategy?
Mary Kate: I had gotten boxed in at footlocker after having a bad start, so I really wanted to go out fast and stick with the top pack as long as I could, which didn't quite work out because I fell right at the start of the race and could never catch up with the leaders.
OHRunners: What were your thoughts at the starting line?
Mary Kate: I was nervous but I was also just trying to relax and have fun. I have had a great time, and I knew that the course was so slow and that I would not run my best time, and that the only thing that mattered was my place. I knew that this was the last race of my season, and I just wanted to do my best and give it my all.
OHRunners: You were 27th in a time of 20:21. Describe your race?
Mary Kate: Right at the start, I must have had my foot in a puddle of mud because as soon as the gun went off, I went to push off my back foot and fell down. I tried to get myself up as fast as possible and get myself back in the race. The mud was absolutely treacherous. It was impossible to run through, and many of us almost fell multiple times during the race. There had been over half an inch of rain the night before, and there was standing water that was about six inches deep all over the course!! I went through the first mile of the race and I was a lot further back than I wanted to be (somewhere around 40-50th maybe), so I just focused on picking people off one by one. I tried to focus on where I could run where there would be the least amount of mud. After the first lap, I was exhausted and my tape from my spikes had come off and was wrapped around my legs! I kept telling myself that I had to move up, and eventually I caught some of our Midwest girls. Basically, my whole race was focused on moving up and making up for my fall. It was so hard to move your legs, and your feet would get stuck in the mud to the point where your shoes were almost sucked off!!
OHRunners: You have had an accomplished freshman XC season. Can you describe for us your past season. Did you meet your own expectations?
Mary Kate: I didn't expect to have such a great season! I really was thinking at the beginning of the year that I just wanted to run 18:30, so I was very happy the first time I broke 18! I learned a lot this season, especially through the post season races. I have learned how to push myself and how to run with competition. I had a great time with my team, and everyone really had fun making it to state which was definitely one of the highlights of my year!! I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people, and I cannot wait until next year!!!
See Mary Kate's interview from earlier in the 2012 XC Season